


Wife of a Scion

by Faindessiness



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Age Difference, Arranged Marriage, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scion!Hanzo, Self-Esteem Issues, Smut, Yakuza Hanzo Shimada
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2019-11-28 10:11:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 40,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18206993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faindessiness/pseuds/Faindessiness
Summary: Edith is forced to go to a party with her friends to try and get out more. During her time there, she notices a handsome stranger staring at her. When she returns home, she discovers that the next heir of the Shimada Clan wants to arrange her to become his next wife.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ok, so I wrote this awhile back when Scion Hanzo was introduced. However when I wrote it at the time it was pretty dark, so I rewrote it and made it a little more light-hearted. Still kinda dark, I guess.

She couldn't believe she allowed herself to come here. Edith hated social gatherings. She hated being in any kind of situation where there were crowds. Especially if it's at an extremely loud place. Edith had promised her friends that she would go. After all, they were looking forward to this party. They knew Edith hated crowds and had a hard time dealing with loud noises and wild behavior. It wasn't her fault she couldn't adjust to that kind of situation. Either way, they weren't going to let Edith back out, otherwise they would bother her and complain about her ditching the party for weeks.

Some friends they were.

Edith had trouble picking out an outfit. She heard it was basically a hardcore dance party and everyone was going to dress up. It wasn't a fancy party from what she had heard.  So Edith decided just to wear casual clothing. Not too flashy, and not too provocative. Edith didn't want to gain the attention of the wrong type of people. When Edith arrived with her friends at the dance, they were dressed with very skin tight clothing, high heels, and sexy outfits that showed off their bodies while she was just dressed casually. Edith began to feel regret after noticing her friends' outfits.  Maybe she could've worn something a little cute.

 

"Come on girls," one of them said. "let's go have a fun time!"

 

The group entered the dance room, and boy was it loud. Edith tried to keep herself compose. She didn't want to lose her cool. Edith had her head lowered to the ground, trying to make her way through the crowd. As her friends stood, a few of them began heading to the dance floor. One of them stopped to check on Edith. It seemed like they noticed she was truly uncomfortable.

 

"You wanna come dance with us, Edith?"

 

"Um...N-no. No thanks, I'm good."

 

With that, her friend went and joined with the other girls. Edith went to the closest wall to lean against and watch everyone else have a fun time. Edith wished she had the courage to show off and not give a care of what others thought of her. Sadly, she was not a good dancer. The only thing she could do was tap her foot to the beat. After standing near the wall, her head began to ache in pain. The music was so loud, it was unbearable. The beats pounded with her heart, making her feel as if it was going to explode out of her chest.  Some of the party goers were giving her strange looks. Did they not want her to be there? Did they not like her? Was it because of her outfit? Was there something on her face? Does it look like she's going to vomit?

It felt like it to Edith. She also felt incredibly dizzy and weak. She needs to sit down. As quickly as she could, Edith went to one of the booths, thankfully far away from the dance floor. Edith sat down in one of the booths as quickly as she could. Hopefully nobody will come up to her and try to have a conversation with her. Right now, she just wanted to be alone and calm down. Edith could feel chills going down her spine,  yet she was wearing warm clothes. She hadn't noticed she had trouble breathing until she began concentrating again. Edith didn't want to look up. She didn't want to see who was staring at her with their judging eyes, even though her back and neck hurt from looking down. A few minutes passed by. It felt like hours as when Edith looked at her phone, it had only been five minutes since she and her friends arrived.

How long did they plan on staying here? Were they going to hook up with somebody and ditch her? They always do that every time they go out. It was almost as if they wanted to make her life miserable. Then again, they get drunk a lot and forget half of the things they do. None of them take responsibility for their actions. One time one of the girls got into a fight, nearly wrecking the entire place up and they got arrested for it. Of course they blamed the other person for starting the fight when she was the one who started it in the first place. Out of all of them, Cara was the only tolerable one. She actually cared about Edith's well being. It was usually her who tried to get Edith to join the group at the parties. She would tell her that Edith had to open herself up a little more and get out of her comfort zone. Edith knew that was true, but she also hated whenever she said that.

Both she and her parents would tell her that. Edith didn't want to get out of her comfort zone. She wanted to stay right in that area. She didn't care if she missed out on other opportunities. She felt perfectly safe in her little world. It was the only place that made her feel truly happy. She hated it when others forced her out of her bubble. If they asked her to try and get out more, maybe. But forcing her is what she hated the most. That's why she hated it when her friends constantly forced her to go to these kind of parties. They never ask Edith if she wanted to go or not. They just simply force her to go with them. She really hated that about her friends. She absolutely hated it.

Edith had the sudden feeling that somebody was watching her. She always had that feeling whenever she was doing something, say be on her phone, read a book, or be on her laptop. This time it felt as if they were actually there. Reluctantly, the girl lifted her head up and noticed somebody sitting farther away from her. He was in another booth on the opposite side of where she sat. Both had a clear view of one another. The man had dark, spiky hair with one bang on his right side. He was dressed up as if he was going to the fanciest party in the entire world. Though he appeared to be handsome, what really bothered Edith was the way the man was looking at her. He gave the most hateful stare ever. Was this man upset with her?

If so, why? Did he want to be alone? Was he jealous or something? Did she look like somebody he knew and mistook her for them? Edith was beginning to get uncomfortable, but she did not want to go back into the crowd. Perhaps Edith can just call it a day and leave. She didn't care she was only there for a few minutes. She got bad vibes from this guy. Quickly, the girl pretended as if she got a text from one of her friends. She then pretended she answered the phone, getting up from her seat and making a fake conversation on the phone. All the while, the man still had his eyes on her. Hopefully he won't follow her outside. While she walked through the crowd, she noticed two of her friends dancing with two other guys. She felt uncomfortable with the provocative dances they were doing.

Edith let out a sigh. She knew this was a place for adults, but she didn't feel like one. She was almost about to turn 19, and yet she still felt like a child. Perhaps that's why she felt left out of her friend group. They appeared to be much older than she was. They even did more adult activities while her parents threatened to ground her for eternity if she even thought about having sex before she was married. Not wanting to stand awkwardly in the crowd, Edith made her way out. She was finally free, feeling the warm breeze against her cheeks. She then realized that she had no way of going home. She had no money on her, and none of her friends besides Cara were willing to take her home. The girl decided she'll just walk home. It's only a few blocks away.

Edith texted Cara to let her know she was not feeling well and was heading home. Hopefully when she got home her parents won't figure out that she walked home all by herself. If they did, she would end up getting a lecture on the dangers of walking home alone, especially in the dark. While walking down the street, she began to have that same feeling of being watched. That man wasn't following her, was he? No, it's just her paranoia. He didn't actually follow her home. Maybe he wasn't a threat after all, either. He might looked grumpy because that was his actual resting face. Edith began to feel bad for judging him, but then again, he did give off a disturbing and dangerous vibe.

After a few blocks, Edith made it home. Her legs were exhausted from the long distance. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to walk home at all. She should've just called a cab or something. The girl entered her house, seeing her mother in the kitchen and preparing to put dinner away.

 

"Edith, you're home early." She stated. "Did your friends bring you home?"

 

"Y-yeah." Edith lied. "I wasn't feeling well."

 

"You better not have walked all by yourself here, young lady. You know how upset your father gets when he finds out the truth."

 

"Okay, maybe I did walk alone, but I was fine."

 

"Edith!" Quickly, her mother rushed to her and yelled, "You should have asked one of your friends to bring you home!"

 

"But mom-"

 

"It's dangerous to walk by yourself! You know that not only can creepers, stalkers, and perverts follow you, but the GraciaZ spies. If they had noticed you, they would have found out where you lived and would come break into this house and take you away from us! We might as well move out now."

 

"Mom, I'm sick and tired of moving around!" Edith cried out in frustration. "Besides, this is the only time we stayed in one area for a long time. Even if we did move, it's not like anyone would miss me."

 

"What about your friends?"

 

"They wouldn't care! Well...maybe Cara, but nobody else would care."

 

Edith's father came down the stairs, asking, "What's going on?"

 

"Edith came home by herself."

 

"I don't see how that's a problem."

 

"She went to a dance party with her friends in a very crowded place. She walked all by herself here, five blocks away from the dance party."

 

"Qué!?" Her father yelled. "Mi hija, do you have any idea how dangerous that was?! You could've gotten kidnapped!"

 

"Dad, I'm 18!"

 

"That doesn't mean you're safe. Had you been kidnapped by one of my cousin's men, we wouldn't even know!"

 

"Wouldn't Rosa know?" Edith blurted. "She works for Overwatch, couldn't she have them track my location down?"

 

Edith's father sighed. "It's not as easy as you think, Edith. If you were kidnapped, it would have taken months, maybe years even!" He placed both his hands on her shoulders and demanded, "Promise me you will never do that again. Never leave anywhere unless you have someone to take you home."

 

The girl nodded. She knew both her parents were just trying to protect her. Her father's cousin was obsessed with her, however she never knew exactly why. Neither of her parents would tell her. Rosa wouldn't even tell her.

 

"I know you're an adult, Edith. But it's still dangerous. If you were attacked by those men, you wouldn't be able to defend yourself."

 

"I'm sorry..."

 

Her father sighed. "Look, why don't you just go lay down? It's late after all."

 

Edith nodded her head. She made her way up the stairs. She felt terribly guilty for worrying her parents, but they need to stop worrying about her. Yes, she was weak and unable to fight for herself, but she's not that defenseless. She could carry a knife or pepper spray to defend herself! As Edith was about to enter her room, she could hear both her parents speaking from downstairs,

 

"I'm getting really worried about Edith. I think this pressure is really messing with her head."

 

"I know..." Her father sighed. "I wish both she and Rosa could live happy and peaceful lives. I don't want them to live in constant fear knowing that one day they'll get kidnapped and sold into some sex trafficking ring. And moving around has caused Edith to detach herself from others."

 

"I don't think the friends she hangs out with are the best role models." Her mother stated. "I mean, Cara is a good girl, but all the other ones...I just don't think Edith should see them anymore."

 

"Mi amor, Edith is 18. She's going to be 19 in three months. She's already an adult. We've basically been babying her and Rosa since forever. I know they're both mature, but I'm just worried that I won't be there to save them."

 

"Dear," Edith heard her mother's voice soften. "I know you worry about them a lot. I wish we could just let them be, but you and I know Edith needs all the help she can get. After all...she's special...and many take advantage of her kindness and her shy nature."

 

"I know..."

 

Edith frowned. She was aware that she was too nice for her own good. However she was also too shy. Though if somebody did try to hurt her or kidnap her, she wasn't going to be nice to them. Edith would have screamed and kicked the people who attempted to hurt her. But at the same time, she was too afraid to even attack anyone, let alone anyone who would appear stronger than her. The girl went into her room, collapsing onto her bed. She pulled out her phone, checking if she got any text messages. Nobody responded. Not even Cara. They must be having a real good time. It was almost midnight, and Edith had to get ready for tomorrow. She had to help out around the house. Her mother had plans on inviting some friends over for some kind of reunion.

Edith got up from her bed, getting her pajamas out of her dresser. She began changing into silky and loose pajamas. Once she was done, she climbed back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chest. Her phone rested on her night stand. She had forgotten to charge it. The girl felt too comfy and sleepy to get out of bed. She'll charge it tomorrow. Maybe it'll be the first thing she does in the morning. As Edith began drifting away, thoughts of the man at the party returned to her. 

The glare he gave her unnerved her. It felt like his stare was full of malice. Did he really hate her, or was that just his resting face? Yeah, that had to be it. Perhaps Edith's paranoia and anxiety caused her to feel like he gave off dangerous vibes. But what if he was dangerous? What if he was aligned with the GraciaZ in some way? What if he ended up following her home? Edith brushed those thoughts aside. There was no way that man actually followed her home. In fact, he might not have been staring at her at all! Maybe he was just staring off into space. Feeling at ease, Edith began falling into a decent slumber.

 

Morning had arrived. The sun rays beamed through the window, hitting Edith's face. She fluttered her eyes open, feeling a burn coming from them as she attempted to keep them open. As Edith got up from her bed, she heard muffling coming from downstairs. Were here parents arguing again? The girl let out a sigh, getting up from her bed. She was about to make her way into the hallway, only to be pulled by an unknown force. She turned around to find that it was just her mother. Before she could even ask what was going on, her mother shushed her by placing her finger on her lips. Both heard a conversation downstairs between her father and another man. Edith didn't recognize his voice, but knew he was not related to her father with the accent he spoke in.

 

"I understand that you are not comfortable with giving your daughter away, however I am afraid you have no choice."

 

"Surely there's some other way! I don't know who this eldest Shimada is, nor do I care that he is the next heir of his clan! I will not allow that man to marry my daughter!"

 

"Gracia-san, I do not make the rules. He has made the request to marry your youngest daughter and to have her taken to Hanamura immediately. If you do deny this request, we won't hesitate to take her ourselves and have you and your wife killed."

 

"But why my daughter?! Why Edith?! Can't this cabrón find some other girl other than my daughter?!"

 

"You should feel honored, Gracia-San that your daughter is going to be married to one of the wealthiest men on Earth."

 

"I don't give a damn if he's some kind of super human, I am not letting that man marry my daughter off!"

 

Silence fell upon them. Edith waited for somebody to say something. She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder, trembling in fear.

 

"If you do not comply with our request, we might as well have the GraciaZ just take your daughter away and buy her ourselves."

 

Edith couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was this a joke? This had to be a joke. Edith turned to look at her mother's eyes. From the look on her face, this was no joke. She look just as confused and horrified as her. Her mother then took her hand, holding onto it tightly. Both prayed that these men would just leave their home as soon as possible. Edith didn't know why this stranger wanted to marry her in the first place. To their horror, Edith and her mother heard the words come out her father's voice,0

 

"I give my blessings to the marriage."

 

"I knew you would make the right choice, Gracia-san."

 

With that, they heard the men get up from their seats. The sound of the front door slamming caused Edith to flinch. As swiftly as they could, she and her mother rushed downstairs. Their father was sitting in a wooden chair, his face full of regret and disgust. Edith wanted to ask her father so many questions, except the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Her mother walked up to her father, placing her hand on his shoulder.

 

"Darling...?"

 

"I can't believe I said that..." He uttered. "They...they can't take our baby girl away from us...they can't..."

 

"Darling, who were those men?"

 

Edith's father looked up, his voice grim as he replied with a low voice, "They were part of the Shimada Clan."

 

Edith noticed her mother go pale. She stared at her father in horror, shaking her head in denial.

 

"No, that couldn't be them. I thought they got taken out along time ago by Overwatch!"

 

"I did too, but I guess they went into hiding for awhile."

 

"Dad...?" Edith whimpered, worried to know what was going on. "Wh-who...who were they?"

 

Both her parents looked at her, then they looked at each other. From the look on their faces, the girl knew that they didn't want to explain the situation to her. Sadly, they had no other choice. Edith's father got up from his seat as he explained to his daughter,

 

"Those men were apart of a clan known as the Shimada Clan. They come from Japan and were a well known criminal group. Your sister helped on many missions to get rid of these men in the past, but they resurfaced."

 

"Wh-what do they do...?"

 

"They sell weapons, sometimes drugs, and they can kidnap people for ransom. Sometimes they kidnap people and sell them for sex trafficking. The reason why we had been running away for so long was not just because of my cousin, but because of these men."

 

Edith didn't understand. They were running away from both the Shimada Clan and her father's cousin? But why? She knew why the GraciaZ wanted her. They wanted to sell her off, but why did the Shimada Clan want her? Did they also want to sell her off, or did they have another reason?

 

"For so long we moved to hide from those bastards. I did everything I could to protect you and your sister. I made sure they could never find us, and suddenly they come into my home, demand my daughter's hand in marriage and to go live with him in a foreign country she knows nothing about?! The worst of all is that I have no other choice! I won't let those bastardos take her, nor will I let them marry her off to some cabrón!"

 

Never had Edith seen her father so furious before. She had seen him get upset and cuss in his native language, but she had never heard nor seen him this angry before. It almost felt like if she said something, let alone move, he would snap and smack her across the face. Hesitantly, her mother placed her hand on the man's shoulder and asked,

 

"There has to be another option..."

 

"I...I hope there is...But if there isn't-"

 

"This isn't like the middle ages, darling. They can't threaten us to give Edith up for some arranged marriage. Maybe in some places its still legal, but not here. I'm pretty sure in Japan they don't do that, either."

 

"Darling, these men are nothing like that you think the GraciaZ are. They are far worse. They have done even more fucked up things than the GraciaZ. I am not going to let our daughter be affiliated with those monsters!"

 

The girl stared at her parents in fear. She wanted to say something. She wanted to know why the Shimada Clan wanted her of all people. Did they know the Gracia family? Surely they had met her sister. Also, how did those men know where she lived. A sudden realization hit Edith like a truck. She felt like she was going to vomit. The girl remembered last night. That man...the feeling of being followed. Was he apart of the Shimada Clan? Did he follow her all the way home? Her thoughts were interrupted as her father said,

 

 

"Let's not talk about this anymore. We can discuss later. I only have today to prepare Edith to leave with them."

 

"And if you don't give her to them?"

 

Her father looked away with sorrow.

 

"I don't want to think about that."

 

 

After everything had calmed down, Edith was told that she couldn't leave the house at all. She didn't mind either way. She rather stay inside. As Edith went back into her room, she looked at her cellphone. All her friends had texted her, complaining about the dance yesterday. They made fun of her for leaving and not being able to get a man. Cara was the only one who was being nice about the situation. Edith texted Cara how things were becoming stressful and she was no longer allowed to leave the house. Edith couldn't tell Cara why, since it involved things that weren't meant for her to know. She could tell her or her other friends about the Shimada Clan or the GraciaZ.

Even if she did tell them, they wouldn't believe her. Cara told her she understood and hoped to see her soon. The last sentence nearly made Edith break down into tears. She wanted to cry. She wanted to just let the tears flow down her face, but her body was forcing her to suppress the tears. The thought that she might not see Cara again, let alone her mother or father nearly brought her to tears. She didn't want to be married off. She didn't want to be taken away by some stranger she didn't know. But what choice did she have? Edith didn't want her family to be killed by either the GraciaZ or the Shimada Clan. Edith began cursing internally at herself. She shouldn't have left that party that night.

No. She shouldn't have gone in the first place! Edith wanted to smack herself across the face multiple times for allowing herself to be pushed around by her friends. She should have told them she didn't want to go. Had she not gone, then that man wouldn't have followed her, and her parents wouldn't have to worry about her being married off. Had she been more brave, none of this would be happening! Edith threw her head against the pillow, crying uncontrollably. She told herself how much she hated herself, how much she hated the GraciaZ , and the the Shimada clan. The girl began rambling, saying she wished she had never existed. Had she not existed, then none of this would be happening. Her sister or her parents wouldn't have to worry about her being taken away.

Edith was the source of all of their troubles. Her family must hate her for all of the trouble she had caused them. Once she was taken away, she would finally end their suffering. She would no longer be a burden to her parents. What mattered to Edith was her family's well being. If she goes with the Shimada Clan, then they'll leave her alone. Hopefully they won't bring them any harm. A few minutes passed by and Edith had cried out all of the tears she had suppressed inside her. There were no more tears to cry. The girl got up from her bed, making her way downstairs. In the kitchen, her father was sitting at the dining table while her mother was preparing for lunch. It was obvious they were still shaken up from earlier.

 

"Mom...Dad…?" Edith spoke. "Is everything alright?"

 

The girl knew that nothing was alright. She just wanted to try and lighten up the mood. As much as she wanted to, Edith knew she would not be able to. Her father let out a heavy sigh, lifting himself up from the seat as he approached his daughter.

 

"Edith,” he began, trying to hold back tears. "I don’t want anything terrible to happen to you. I don’t want you to be married off to some man you have never met, but at the same time, I don’t want you to be kidnapped or taken away from us..."

 

"Do you have any solutions…? Could you try to reason with them and tell them I’m going to college, or give them an excuse?”

 

"None of that will matter to them." Her father stated "I have attempted to contact them, but nobody has answered. If I did tell them all of that stuff, they won’t accept it. To them, your status doesn’t matter. As long as they you are given to that man, you’re…" He paused, turning to Edith’s mother. She stared at him with a sad look in her eyes. Edith's father turned back to her, finishing his last sentence,

 

"If I give you to them, then that man will claim you as his property, nothing more."

 

"What!?" Edith exclaimed. "He can’t do that! He can’t do that at all! Especially in this time! I don’t want to be somebody else’s property! I don’t want to belong to anyone! I just want to be me!"

 

“I know, Edith. But what can I do? I don’t want them to kill you, nor do I want them to take you away, but it’s one or the other."

 

"Can’t you just ask the GraciaZ to go after the Shimada Clan? No!" Edith remembered that her sister had worked for Overwatch, or at least she was currently. "Get Rosa to have her team find the Shimada Clan and they can arrest those men! Surely that will prevent me from marrying them."

 

"Edith, they have ways to break their clan members out of prison. They can even send someone innocent into prison by framing them. The only reason Rosa was able to get half of the members captured was because those men were weak and inexperienced. They also had a former Shimada Clan member on the team."

 

"Then ask him to go to them and try to reason things out with them! Please, do something! I-I don’t want to leave my home! I don’t want to leave you guys behind! I don't want to become somebody's property!"

 

The girl broke down into tears, hugging her father tightly. She begged and begged for him to let her stay. Both her father and her mother didn’t know what to do. They didn’t want their daughter to be taken away by a cruel and awful man. They also didn’t want the GraciaZ to come and kidnap her and selling her off to other people. Neither option were good, but they had to decide. Edith’s father couldn’t just fight off the clan members, they would kill him, Edith, and his wife. He didn’t want to bring anymore harm to the family. Edith’s mother took her daughter, wrapping her in her arms. Meanwhile, her father went to the phone to call someone. Edith and her mother left to stay in the living room. Edith cried and cried. She didn’t know what to do. At first, she was willing to make the sacrifice, but not she regretted her decision. She didn't want to become a slave to this man. Was this meant to be her fate?

Her mother pat her back, asking the girl in a soft voice,

 

"Would you like me to get something to eat or drink?"

 

"Y-yes please..."

 

"Hot chocolate?"

 

"Yes..."

 

Her mother got up from her seat, heading back into to the kitchen. Edith sat on the couch, staring at the TV. She wished that she could watch something to ease her mind of her troubles, however she felt too afraid and upset to even move. She could hear her father speaking to somebody. She knew exactly who he was speaking to. Edith attempted to block his voice out to distract her mind with something else. She prayed that Rosa would come by and save her from this fate. She prayed her big sister will kick these people right where the sun doesn't shine.

Deep down, Edith knew that Rosa wasn't going to come. She had no idea where her sister was, nor if she was even alive. If only her sister were here to save her. Edith's mother returned with the hot chocolate. Edith took it, realizing it wasn't as hot. As she sipped her drink, she heard her father yelling in kitchen, saying words that she had never heard before in her entire life. From the sound of his yelling, she had a feeling what the words might mean. The girl sipped her drink with her mother sitting by her side. They said nothing to each other as they felt too scared to even let out a whisper. Both flinched when they heard Edith's father slam the phone down, nearly breaking. Edith nearly spilled her drink on herself.

Her mother got up from the couch, rushing to the kitchen. Edith didn't dare to move. She began gulping down at her hot drink, not caring that it was burning her throat. She wanted this day to end. She just wanted all of this to just be nothing more but a dream. The girl placed her cup on the coffee table in front of her. She lied down on the couch, hoping that she would fall asleep and wake up to find this was indeed just a terrible dream. Edith closed her eyes, attempting to drift away to sleep. The whole time, she could hear her father yelling and ranting at her mother, repeating "they won't take my daughter." Tears spilled down her face again.

Please let this be a dream, she prayed. Please, let this all be a terrible, awful dream.

 

Slowly, the girl fluttered her eyes opened. Edith hadn't realized she had awaken from her sleep. She was still lying on the couch with her mother sitting in the living room. She sat on one of the rocking chairs, watching TV. Her father was nowhere to be seen. Edith looked at the window, noticing the blinds were shut. From what she could make out, it must be night time. As the girl sat up, her mother turned to her and asked,

 

"Are you feeling alright?"

 

"Not really..." Edith responded.

 

"Edith...I know you're scared. I am too. Your father is scared-"

 

"Scared of what...?"

 

"Of losing you."

 

Losing her? Everything began flooding back to her. This was not a dream. What had happened this morning was real. Those strangers who came into her home to take her away, their threats of killing her parents and kidnapping her, it wasn't a dream at all...This was all real. A loud banging came from the door, causing the two to jump. In a blink of an eye, Edith's mother got up from her chair, grabbing Edith. She covered her mouth, leading her into the kitchen. Edith could hear the sound of her father's footsteps as he came rushing down. Meanwhile, the two remained where they were, hiding in the corner where they could run out the back door. They listened as the door was opened. Edith's father greeted the strangers with a hesitant voice,

 

"G-gentleman..."

 

"We are here to take the girl." A man spoke. "Unless you decided to change your mind, Gracia-san."

 

He was silent. Edith could feel her heart beating faster and faster. She couldn't breathe by how tightly her mother's hand was on her mouth. She feared of breathing through her nose, thinking the slightest noise might alert the strangers.

 

"I...I...uh..."

 

"Where is the girl?" The man demanded. "Don't tell me you took her somewhere else."

 

"I..."

 

What was her father thinking? Edith wanted them to go away, but the thought of them killing her father made her sick to her stomach. Edith's mother let go of her as she heard her father say,

 

"My daughter is indeed here. I-I just...want to have her say her goodbyes first."

 

"NO!"

 

Edith's mother rushed into the living room, leaving her daughter behind in the kitchen.

 

"I won't let these bastards take my baby girl away from me! She's mine!"

 

Even though she was afraid, Edith wanted to go into the living room and see what these men looked like. The girl tiptoed her way to the living room, but she hid behind the wall and listened to the conversation,

 

"We apologize for the sorrow we have caused the two of you, but I assure you that Shimada-san will take care of your daughter."

 

"I'm not going to let my daughter marry some old, perverted man! She has a life ahead of her! She's still a child! She won't understand your language or what the hell her husband says to her! She can't speak Japanese!"

 

"She won't need to. Our boss speaks fluent English."

 

"But what if she gets lost!? Who will come to her rescue?!" Edith's mother screamed. "I don't want my daughter lost in some country she's never been in before! I don't want my daughter marrying a stranger! This isn't the fucking middle ages, you bastards! Don't take my baby away from me!"

 

Edith couldn't stand hearing her parents suffering anymore. She couldn't handle knowing she had been the cause of their suffering. She was the reason why the GraciaZ had hunted them down. Edith felt tears dropping down her cheeks. She didn't want her parents to worry about her anymore. At the same time, she also didn't want to become the property of her future husband. But what mattered more to her was her family. Besides, her suffering will bring them happiness. As long as they were safe, then she would be happy. With no hesitation, Edith entered the room, hollering at the top of her lungs,

 

"Stop! I'll go with you!"

 

Everyone in the room looked at her. Edith stared at the men, who were dressed in black suits, as if they were apart of the FBI, or the mafia. The head of the group let out a dark chuckle.

 

"A wise decision, child. Come."

 

The stranger held his hand out to the girl. Slowly, she made her way towards him. Her mind was telling her to grab some kind of weapon to hit them, however if she did, she will risk her family's safety. She can't run away either, otherwise they'll attack her and her parents. There was no way to escape. Maybe this was her fate. Hopefully it will lead her to a good path. Edith felt her mother grab her wrist, wailing and sobbing,

 

"No, please don't go with them! Please don't go with those monsters!"

 

"Mom, I don't want them to hurt you." Edith told her with a calm voice. "Please...just let me do this..."

 

Edith's father took her mother away from her, keeping them distant from the men. The girl stood in front of them, much smaller in size compared to them. She took a deep breath, locking her eyes on the head of the group.

 

"If I go with you, promise me you won't bring any harm to my family. Promise me that you won't kill them either."

 

"You have our word."

 

"And I also want to see them at least twice a year."

 

The man gave her a frown. "I'm afraid you'll have to speak to your husband about that."

 

Her heart nearly stopped. She had to speak to him about that? What if he didn't agree? All Edith could do was hope that he would. Before she could leave, she turned to her parents one last time, tears dripping down her face. She rushed over to them, hugging both of them tightly.

 

"I promise I'll come home to see you again."

 

Both her parents embraced her tightly. Her mother cried the most, as her father just let the tears flow down his face. He gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead, telling her,

 

"Be safe, mi hija."

 

She nodded her head. The girl forced herself to walk back to the group of men. They lead her to their vehicle. Right as she was about to open the door, one of the men stopped her. She turned around and the head man offered,

 

"Would you like a drink?"

 

"Uh...I-I'm not legal to drink any alcohols..."

 

"It's just water." He assured her.

 

The way he offered the drink sounded fishy. She didn't trust his kind gesture. Her gut was telling her these guys couldn't be trusted, especially giving her a drink. One of the men went into the car to hand her a water bottle. It looked like it was just bought. It was completely cold. Edith agreed to the kind offer. Maybe the man was just trying to get on her good side so he and the others could gain her trust. She drank half of the bottle as she had been extremely thirsty from all of this stress. She handed the water bottle back to the man, but he told her, "Keep it." With that, one of the men opened the door for her. Edith went into the car, sitting in the back. One of the men sat next to her, making her feel completely trapped. The driver started his car, only for Edith to ask them,

 

"What about my clothes? And my stuff?"

 

"You won't need any of that."

 

"Not even my phone?"

 

"Nope."

 

Edith sighed. Thankfully she had her phone in her pocket. They probably knew she had her phone. Maybe to encourage them to let her keep it, she stated,

 

"I have a lot of games and pictures on there I wanna keep. Can't I just go get it really quickly?"

 

"You already said your goodbyes to your parents. But if it's that important-"

 

"I have it in my pocket."

 

The three men turned to look at her. She shrunk in the chair, but the head man waved his hand and blurted,

 

"Alright. Just don't call anybody or we'll break that promise of your's."

 

Edith nodded. She took her phone out to turn it off to gain their trust. She didn't want them to think she was trying to break her word. As she placed it back in her pocket, she began to feel extremely dizzy. Her vision was also becoming blurry. Was she ever this sleepy. As she felt herself becoming weak, she realized what they had done to her. The last thing she heard was them pulling out of her driveway.


	2. Chapter 2

As Edith came to, she felt her head throbbing with an intense pain. Her vision was still blurry, and she felt incredibly weak. Was this what a hangover felt like? The memories were a little fuzzy as they came back to her. The strangers came to her home, threatened her and her parents. She remembered leaving with them in order to keep her parents safe. They offered her a drink before they got in the car...It was water, wasn’t it? Edith's heart dropped as she realized what they had done. They drugged her. The girl shuddered, not wanting to think about what they could have possibly done to her while she was unconscious. She didn’t feel sore anywhere on her body. All she felt was a terrible headache.

The girl lifted herself up, trying to adjust her eye sight as she scanned the room. This place didn’t appear to be familiar at all. This was definitely not her room. The room was much larger than her old one, and it was much more organized. Edith couldn’t believe she was no longer in her own room anymore. She was far from her home. The bed she was lying in was pretty comfortable, though. The sheets were incredibly soft and warm. If only she could just like back down and pretend she was back at home in her own bedroom. Of course pretending wouldn’t help her in this situation. Edith couldn’t even fall back asleep even if she wanted to. She was in an unfamiliar place, meaning she won’t have her old routine anymore.

Edith had wished for something different, but this isn’t what she wanted. But what choice did she have? Even if she didn’t choose to come with these men, her parents would’ve been killed and she would have been forced to come here either way. The girl nearly broke down into tears, only to be interrupted when the door to the bedroom opened. A man in a dark suit entered the room and said to her,

 

"Shimada-san would like to see you now."

 

"Um...I-I'm..." Edith stuttered, lifting herself up from the bed. When she looked at herself, she saw that she was still in her same clothes. They were neither formal or appealing. "I-I'm not...not properly dressed."

 

"Just get out of bed."

 

Reluctantly, Edith crawled out of her new, cozy bed. She attempted to regain her balance as she approached the man. She still felt a little dizzy. Wasn't he even going to offer to help her, let alone something to eat, like breakfast? What time was it, anyway? Hopefully they were going to offer something to eat when she met this Shimada guy. Was that even his name? They walked down the hallways, making their way to the main entrance. Edith's eyes widened by how large the room was. There was no door that prevented trespassers from coming inside. She noticed that it was day time, however she was uncertain if it was morning or afternoon. It appeared to be a lovely day, though. 

When she looked to her right, she noticed some kind of exit or pathway leading outside. On the left, there was a path that lead down stairs. Once Edith was standing in the center of the area, she spotted a familiar figure. Her blood went cold right as she noticed the man’s hair and his outfit. No, there was no way! There was no way that was the same man from that one night! He turned around, giving her the same glare he did the first day they met. Was this...the heir of the Shimada clan? The very man who wanted to marry her? As she began approaching him, she noticed how tall he was compared to her. Had she bumped into him, her head would hit his chest. Though she wasn't extremely short, she still felt tiny compared to him.

The man who lead her bowed to his superior, then left the girl to the stranger. Edith felt even more terrified now. It was just her and this man. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She didn’t want to look at those hateful, dark eyes of his. Edith was aware that the man was staring at her. She could feel his hateful gaze burning into her skull as she lowered her head sadly. If she showed signs that she was afraid, the man would surely go easy on her, wouldn't he? No, not him. Edith didn’t want to judge him from his appearance, but it was obvious that this man was not kind whatsoever. His face said it all.

Edith wasn’t sure what to say to him. Should she just wait until he speaks? Does he want her to speak first? Her cheeks were burning up in embarrassment. Most people in this situation would be the first to speak to the stranger. Or maybe they would be just as scared as she was. What should she say to the man? Should she ask him how his day was? Or should she tell him her name? No, that would be stupid. He must already know who she is. Why did she have to be so scared talking to strangers? Edith wanted to smack herself and tell herself to stop acting like a coward and be more brave. She had to stop being so scared of talking to people!

 

"You're Gracia's daughter? The youngest, to be exact?"

 

Edith's eyes widened. The girl nodded her head, replying to his question with a weak voice. "Y-yes..."

 

"I had been offered to you before by the GraciaZ. However, I declined their offers many times. I got annoyed with their pestering, so I decided that I would go see you myself to know whether or not you were...good enough."

 

"Good enough?"

 

By "good enough," did he mean that he hoped for her to be extremely pretty or something? If he thought she was some goddess, he was completely wrong. She was anything but that. She had no idea how she caught the attention of a man like him. He looked like the kind of man who would marry somebody who was a celebrity or very professional, not some girl who was incredibly shy or lower class than him.

 

"Yes. When I first saw you, I did not believe you were that girl that the GraciaZ mentioned. I thought you were some ordinary girl, though you did catch my attention. Once I did my research and discovered you were indeed the daughter of a former GraciaZ member, I decided to take it upon myself to have you as my future wife."

 

"F-future wife?" Edith tilted her head in confusion. "You mean...we're not marrying right now?"

 

A chuckle escaped from the man's throat. "Of course not. I have to make sure whether or not you meet my expectations."

 

The girl never felt so furious before. Edith didn't know him very well, but she did not like how he thought he could just steal her away from her home and test whether or not she was “perfect” and then toss her aside like garbage. She wanted to tell him she was anything but an item. She was a person! If he wanted a girl that met his expectations, he should’ve found someone who looked much more mature and had a much more busty appearance. Not some flat chested girl that almost resembled a child.

 

"Look here mister, I don't like the fact that you think I'm some girl you can just kidnap and see whether or not I am a good girlfriend, let alone wife! As a matter of fact, you could've asked me out on a date and I would've said yes! You didn't have to have a group of men come to my house, threaten my family's lives, and have them drug me and bring me here! You could've just simply asked me out!"

 

"Is it truly kidnapping if you consented to go?"

 

"I only went with them because I didn't want them to bring harm to my family! And they even drugged me! So I have no idea how they even got me here!"

 

The man gave her a mischievous grin, "They have ways of smuggling people in.”

 

Does this guy think this is some kind of joke? He had men threaten to kill not only her, but her mother and father if they did not comply to his request. They threatened them! They threatened to kidnap her as well if they did not consent! She was disgusted knowing the fact that she would have to marry this cruel and twisted man.

 

"Even if you do end up liking me, I would never end up marrying a man like you." Edith told him.

 

The man’s grin grew even wider. Edith did not like the way he stared at her. She took a step back as he let out another chuckle.

 

"Oh, you're a feisty one. I like that in a woman."

 

He pulled the girl close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist , whispering in her ear,

 

"It makes the challenge much more...fun."

 

Disgusted with his words, Edith pushed herself away from the man. She tried to give him the angriest and hateful gaze. It didn't seem to work as she felt more scared than angry. He probably thought she looked pathetic with the glare she was giving him. She didn’t care, though. This man was awful! She hated him already! The dark haired man dusted his suit, saying to Edith,

 

"I apologize for my rudeness. I have not introduced myself to you." He placed his hand on his chest, "I am Hanzo Shimada. I am the eldest son of the Shimada Clan, and the rightful ruler of this empire."

 

Edith's eyes widened, feeling even more intimidated now that she knew that he was the head of the clan. She would have to watch her tongue before she snapped at him again. Disrespecting him could mean consequences. Harsh ones in fact. Edith flinched as she felt his leather glove press against her skin, stroking her cheek.

 

"However, I will allow you to call me whatever you please...Once we are wedded."

 

"Speaking of wedding," Edith brushed the man's hand away. "when is that going to happen? Is it gonna happen next month? A few months? Next year?"

 

"I have not decided that yet." Hanzo replied bluntly. "As I stated before, I want to make sure whether or not you meet my expectations."

 

The girl frowned. She didn't like how he worded it. If only he explained what he meant. Edith was too afraid to even ask for context.

 

"Now, your name is Edith, yes?"

 

The brunette nodded her head.

 

"A lovely name."

 

"Th-thank you...?"

 

Hanzo's smile faded. He cocked one eyebrow up in confusion.

 

"I was complimenting you."

 

"Sorry...I-I just...I rarely talk to people...except my small group of friends and parents.”

 

The man let out a laugh. Edith felt offended by the tone of his laughter. He was mocking her. "I cannot believe you haven’t spoken to anybody else besides your friends or family! No wonder you act so shy.”

 

"I have talked to people! I...I just don't talk to them a lot."

 

Edith brushed a lock of her hair behind ear, feeling embarrassed for telling him something so simple to her, but difficult for others. She reminded herself that she didn't have to reveal everything about herself to him if she didn't want to. Even if he forced her to tell him everything, she wasn’t going to. Her past and secrets are hers alone. Nobody needs to know. It wasn’t her fault she felt incredibly nervous whenever she talked to strangers. She wished that she didn’t always worry about what they thought of her. Her future husband had already laughed at her for that. Was he actually laughing at her though? Edith wasn’t sure if he was joking with her or if he was truly mocking her. If only she could tell the difference. Suddenly, Hanzo began to speak with a soft voice.

 

"I do not blame you for that. I rarely speak to anyone besides my men. Though I do talk to them...I don’t feel any kind of connection. As a matter of fact, I don’t have any family members or friends."

 

"You...don't have friends?"

 

"I do not need friends." Hanzo told her. "They disappoint me."

 

The girl wanted to laugh at his comment. She heard people say, but usually they were joking. This guy wasn't. He was actually being serious. Edith couldn’t blame him, though. She knew what it was like to have friends that disappointed her. Actually, she still wasn't sure if she could consider them "friends." Cara was the only exception. Speaking of Cara, was she aware that she had been taken by a group of criminals? No. Neither she or the others know, nor would they care. There was no point in telling them. They wouldn't believe her anyway, like many times in the past.

 

"I guess we have something in common." Edith stated. "We...both don't have friends. Even though it's nice to have someone to speak with about your feelings and stuff."

 

"Hmph! Only fools rely on others for their personal problems. There's no point in just telling them how you feel or what your difficulties are. They will never listen or understand."

 

Was he calling her...a fool? Yeah. Edith was a complete fool for believing her friends would ever believe her or even understand her. They never have. Who needs them anyway? Hanzo turned around and noticed that the girl had gone silent. He approached her and asked,

 

"Have you had anything to eat?"

 

"N-no. Nobody offered me anything."

 

"My apologies. I will make sure you are given the greatest breakfast you ever had."

 

What's with this guy? One minute he's just staring at her with the most hateful gaze she’s even seen, then he acts all suave and seductive, then he's insulting her, and now he's acting all nice again. Why was he doing that? Was it because he was trying to gain her trust? Edith had so many questions already. She didn’t need anymore flooding her mind. Would they even be answered if she asked politely? Of course they wouldn't. Hanzo would probably dodge the question or insult her.

 

"I will have one of my servants bring you something to eat. Do you have a specific request?"

 

"I...I never tried anything that wasn't my parents' cooking...or stuff they buy."

 

"Ah, so you prefer cereal, waffles, eggs, or-"

 

"Cereal is fine. Thank you." The girl interrupted.

 

Hanzo stared at her as if she insulted him. "Very well. I might have some cereal, though I do not think it will be edible as it might be...expired."

 

Edith gave the man an annoyed look as she firmly stated, "I'm not eating expired food."

 

"Do not worry, I'll make sure you get proper food to eat."

 

With that, Hanzo lead the girl to the dining room. Edith kept her distance. She didn't want him to be leading her to some kind of trap. He already gave off a dangerous aura. It was clear not only from that aura but from his appearance. He looked like he was the kind of man nobody should mess with. He could probably snap her neck with one single punch. Hanzo looked over his shoulder every few seconds to check if the girl was still behind him. Edith kept her head down, not wanting to look him in the eye. With that glare of his, she couldn't even give him eye contact for one second. Finally, they arrived at the dining room. Edith scanned the area to check if there was anything off or if somebody else was inside the room. The girl sat at the table, waiting for the man to serve her. Right as he opened the cabinets, he turned to the girl.

 

"Aren't you going to want to pick your cereal out?"

 

"Wh-what do you have?"

 

“Come over here and see for yourself.”

 

Edith got up from her seat, hesitantly approaching the man to see what he had stored. She didn't want to get too close to him, fearing he would attack her. Hanzo stepped aside, allowing the girl to pick what she wanted. Edith stared and tried to see which one she wanted. After a few seconds of browsing, she picked out the one that she believed was chocolate flavored. Hopefully it was. 

Hanzo closed the cabinet and went to the fridge to get the milk out. Edith placed the box on the counter, watching as the man served her. The whole time, she lowered her head away from his gaze. She knew she could serve herself, but instead allowed her future husband to do it instead. Though she couldn't see it, she could feel that he was staring at her with that glare of his. Edith wanted to just head back to the table and sit down. Edith decided she would remain where she was until he finished serving her. Hanzo then handed the girl her breakfast. Without looking up at him, she took the bowl and murmured,

 

"Thanks."

 

As carefully as she could, she went back to the table to eat. The whole time, she feared of dropping the bowl and embarrassing herself right in front of him. Edith sat herself, staring down at the bowl. Would it taste good, or would it taste awful? She never enjoyed trying anything new. She worried it would taste awful. It would be rude of her not to try something new right in front of her new "husband."

 

"Are you going to eat or not?"

 

The girl jumped. "O-oh. Sorry."

 

Before she even noticed, the man stated, "I never gave you a spoon. My apologies."

 

Hanzo pulled out a spoon from one of the kitchen drawers. He went to the girl, handing the silverware to her. Edith took it, still not giving him eye contact. Hanzo was not pleased with this. He was aware the girl was scared of him. He knew he was an intimidating man, so of course she would be afraid of him. Perhaps that was why she didn’t want to talk to him. She must be worried she’ll say the wrong thing and offend him. He didn't get offended that easily. He was a grown man, he could handle an insult or two. Hanzo felt a little pity for the girl. Though she was adorable, she had to stop acting so scared and start opening up more. Hanzo knew that the girl wouldn’t stay silent forever. Sooner or later she will break out of her shell.

Edith patiently waited for the man to leave the room and let her eat her food in peace. She didn't want him to just be staring at her the whole time like some creep. She could tell he was still there as she felt him towering over her as she ate. Edith wanted to ask him to just leave her alone and let her eat in peace, except she feared she would anger him. Even if she asked kindly, he probably won’t leave her be.   What had felt like hours, Hanzo finally gave the girl her space. He did not leave the room though. He kept his eyes on her, studying the girl from afar. There was something about Edith that had attracted him to her since he first saw her. He just couldn't figure it out. Yes, she was adorable. As much as he did not want to admit it out loud, the girl was damn cute. If he could, he would tell her that. However, his pride won’t allow him to say such a thing. It would ruin his image.

Aside from her appearance, there was something else interesting about her. They must have something in common. Other than not wanting friends, there must be something else. Deep down, Hanzo knew that there was no way they had anything in common. She was just a normal girl. A civilian living a peaceful and happy life. He, on the other hand, was the head of a criminal group. A clan who kidnapped, sold, and murdered people. They also sold dangerous weapons to other criminals, sometimes drugs. There was no way in hell they had anything in common.

Edith continued eating her breakfast, enjoying the sweet, chocolate taste. The cereal was similar to her favorite back home, but it tasted much better and real. While she was enjoying her breakfast, she was interrupted as Hanzo spoke up,

 

"Edith, may I ask you to tell me about yourself?"

 

She lifted her head up, finally giving him eye contact. Honestly, she didn't feel comfortable telling this man anything about her. Edith could lie, though he would figure out what was true and what wasn’t.

 

"What's there to know about me?" She inquired, turning her attention back to her cereal. "I'm just some ordinary girl with ordinary problems like everyone else."

 

"By ordinary problems, you mean moving from state to state, away from the GraciaZ so you and your eldest sister don't get kidnapped?"

 

That statement caused Edith to shoot her head up, staring wide eyed at the man. With the satisfied grin on his face, it seemed like he wanted her to react like that. Edith brushed it off and replied back,

 

"I have other problems besides that."

 

"Such as...?"

 

"None of your business."

 

"I would like to know."

 

The girl kept quiet. She finished her breakfast and got herself up. Right as she was about to walk, Hanzo approached her and took the bowl from her hands.

 

"Allow me."

 

Edith yanked the bowl away and blurted, "Stop that."

 

"Stop what?" Hanzo cocked an eyebrow up in confusion.

 

"Stop pretending to be nice to me. I...I don't like that."

 

His smile faded immediately. "You rather I be cruel towards you?"

 

"N-no! I-I just don't like how you are acting...it feels weird."

 

With that, the girl walked passed him. She was about to turn the sink on, only for the man to blurt out,

 

"I am not "acting" nice. I am truly being nice."

 

"It feels like you're pretending, though."

 

"Do you know the difference between someone is being truly kind to you and when they are pretending?"

 

Edith pulled the handle up, washing her bowl as she let the sound of the water gushing out overlay her words,

 

"I know too well..."

 

Once she had finished rinsing it, Hanzo took the bowl from her, placing it to the side where he would wash it later. Just when Edith thought she was finally free to leave him, he blurted out,

 

"We are going to have to give you new clothes, my dear."

 

The girl stopped in her tracks. She turned around to face the man, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

 

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing now?" She asked him.

 

"Nothing. I just wish for you to wear something else."

 

"Are they going to be comfy clothes?"

 

"That is for you to decide."

 

Hanzo motioned for the brunette to follow him. Reluctantly, she did so. Edith didn't want to change her clothes. She was fine in them already, though they weren’t formal. Hopefully the new clothes he was going to offer her were comfy and not too...provocative. The last thing Edith wanted was unwanted attention. Of course in a place like this, there would be no way she could avoid such attention. Hanzo lead the girl into what appeared to be his bedroom. Maybe it was somebody else's. The man opened one of the closets and pushed aside the hanging clothes, searching for the girl’s new outfit.

Edith stood behind him, anxiously waiting for him to pull something out. While she waited, she scanned the area and noticed how well organized it was. Compared to her old room, this place was very clean and roomy. Edith’s room was small and a complete mess. Most of her items were everywhere. It always stressed her out as no matter how she sorted everything, it still felt unorganized. She wondered if this was her new room. If not, then was the room she awoke in her new room? Finally, the man pulled out a dress. He cleared his throat, gaining Edith's attention. She turned around and let out a gasp. 

She stared at the dress with wide eyes. It was short and also appeared to be tight. It had a "V" shape that would show off her chest. It was a bright red color, contrasting Hanzo’s blue on his suit. This dress was not meant for her! This was meant for someone with a much more busty and mature figure than hers!

 

"I am not wearing that!" Edith blurted.

 

"Why not? It would look cute on you."

 

"Yeah, if I was a little bigger!"

 

"Bigger where?"

 

Edith's cheeks flushed. She clenched her fists and glared at the man. Hanzo couldn't help but grin. She looked so cute when she was angry. He was aware that the girl wanted to slap him across the face. He wouldn’t be shocked if she did, though. Besides, Hanzo shouldn’t underestimate the girl’s short stature. She might have incredible strength that he isn't aware of.

 

"Put that away! I don't wanna wear that!"

 

"Alright. Calm down. I will find something more comfortable for you."

 

He placed the dress back into the closet. Edith folded her arms, patiently waiting for the man to chose something less...sexy. She felt infuriated. If she had a bustier body and confidence in herself, sure she would wear something like that. But there was no way she would ever wear anything that! She might end up gaining the attention of all of these men. She was in a place that was full of dangerous and trained men who were capable of overpowering her. They could possibly take advantage of her. Her own future husband might be one of those men. What felt like hours, Hanzo finally pulled another dress out. He revealed it to the girl, hoping she would enjoy it. 

It was a black dress that was covered in a dark shade of blue at the bottom. It almost matched the man’s outfit. Edith liked it, although she was worried that it might not fit her. She didn’t want the dress to end up falling off of her body. The girl took the dress from him, turning it around to see what it looked like from behind. To her disappointment, it didn't have anything covering her back. It would expose it. Others might not think it was a big deal, except for Edith. Somebody might slip their hands through that dress and try to grab her chest. Thankfully it had straps that would prevent it from falling off her shoulders.

 

"Well?"

 

The brunette snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at the man. "I like it…” She began. “Except it won't cover my back."

 

"So? Why does that matter?" Hanzo leaned into the girl's ear, whispering in a seductive tone, "It will show off how sexy you are."

 

"Eek!" The girl yelped, her face now burning up. Nobody had ever spoke to her in such a tone like that in her entire life!

 

"I don't want to look sexy!" Edith exclaimed. "I want to look normal!"

 

"You should not be so self conscious about yourself. I think you would look beautiful in any dress, regardless how tiny your breasts are."

 

Edith gave him another glare. "You just want to look take advantage of me." She accused.

 

"I would never do such a thing.” Hanzo told her. “I too have morals.” He lifted the girl's chin, causing her to freeze in place. "I want to show you off to others. I want them to be jealous of how beautiful of a wife you are. I want them to know who you belong to."

 

"So I'm just a piece of property you can show off to other men?"

 

"No. Right now, you are my fiance. But soon you will be my wife."

 

The man took a few steps away, allowing Edith her space. "Now, go change. I want to see what you will look like."

Edith began walking away. She glanced around to find a door that lead to the bathroom. While she made her way there, she kept her eyes locked on him so he didn’t try anything on her. Once Edith went inside, she immediately shut the door and locked it. She then dropped the dress, pushing herself against the door, letting out a sigh of frustration. Did she really have to wear this thing? Why does he want her to wear something like this? Edith didn't want to be shown off to other men. She didn't want to be known as the wife of some cruel, heartless man. She didn’t want to be his property. She didn't want to be anybody's property!  Edith looked back down at the dark dress lying at her feet.

If she had to wear this, then fine. Edith began stripping herself of her previous clothes, tossing them into a pile. She then picked the dark dress up, putting it over her body. Edith checked in the mirror to see if it did fit her. To her shock, she actually looked...decent. Not good, but not bad either. Edith turned around to find her back was indeed exposed. Thankfully it didn't go any lower and showed off her butt. It was a little loose though, but not loose enough to where it would fall off of her body. The girl placed her hand on the door handle, afraid to open it and reveal herself. She let out a deep breath. Everything was going to be alright, she assured herself.

Edith then pulled the door open, exiting the bathroom. Hanzo turned around, staring at the girl. His expression did not change one bit. Edith took a few baby steps towards him, fearing he would snatch her arm and throw her onto the bed.   All he did was just stare at her. He looked down, then up at her face. Edith turned her head away, feeling her cheeks heating up again. This was so embarrassing. Edith waited for the man to make some kind of comment. She didn’t care if it was an insult or not, she just wanted him to break the silence. She waited and waited, but he said nor did anything. Hanzo began approaching to the girl. He took her wrist, pulling her towards his body. He wrapped one arm around her waist, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. Edith could feel her own legs wobbling like jello.

Her cheeks felt so warm she was certain she had some kind of fever. The girl had never felt so weak in her entire life. Was it normal to feel like this? Why was she feeling like this? Can she make the feeling go away? A soft smile formed on Hanzo's face, saying one word in a gentle tone,

 

"Beautiful."

 

His voice caused the girl to shudder. She felt her heart skip a beat with the tone he used. Edith immediately pulled herself away from the man, wanting to get rid of weird fuzziness she began feeling. The brunette brushed her dress, pulling up one of the straps that was beginning to fall. Edith had seen such scenes play out like this in movies. Edith had hoped one day it would happen to her. Except she didn’t expect it to happen like this!

 

Hanzo couldn't help but let out a chuckle. The girl’s reaction was quite adorable.

 

"So...now what?" The girl asked. "Are you going to take pictures or something?"

 

"There's no need. I have a perfect image of you here already."

 

Edith was unsure how else to reply. She made her way to the door to leave, only to be stopped.

 

"I did not say you could leave, my dear."

 

She turned to him, staring at him with confused eyes. "What?"

 

"I guess I should lay some ground rules for you to understand. After all, you are in an unfamiliar place."

 

"Okay, what are the rules?"

 

The man cleared his throat. "Since you now live under my roof, you will follow these rules correctly. And if you disobey them...let's just say, there will be consequences."

 

"At least give me some freedom." Edith mumbled.

 

"I will, but you have not let me explain my rules to you." Hanzo then continued where he left off; "First, you are not allowed to leave the castle's premises unless I have given you permission. I do not want you to go running off with somebody else, say like an enemy clan or...someone apart of Overwatch."

 

The only person she would run away with was her sister. She wasn't stupid enough to even try and escape this place, even if she wanted to. And even if she did escape, who was she going to ask for help? She couldn't speak the native language here. If she did escape, nobody would be able to understand her. They would assume she was insane.

 

"Secondly, I do not want you provoking my men or annoying them. They have very important business here. Also, when I am at important meetings with other clan leaders, I do not want you interrupting, unless you deeply need something or if I invite you to the meetings."

 

Edith agreed to the rules. Thankfully they weren’t too harsh, excluding the fact she can’t leave for any reason.

 

"Also, to help you understand what’s going on around here, I will have you take classes in learning Japanese. Surely it won't be difficult to learn a new language, will it?"

 

"Usually it is..." Edith commented. "I mean, that depends though."

 

Edith knew some words and phrases in Japanese. She hated to admit it, but she used to watch anime with her older sister, even though she had no idea what was going on in the show, and didn't really enjoy reading the subtitles. It did help her as she did pick up a few words and phrases from watching them.

 

"Once we wed, I will add on a few...additional rules. Maybe you might find some of those...enjoyable."

 

Hanzo stepped closer to the girl, causing her to take a step back. She noticed that his tone of voice had changed again. Before could get any closer to her, he realized what he was doing and stopped in his tracks. Quickly, he turned away from the girl and adjusted his tie.

 

"There are only two places you are not allowed in; my chambers and the meeting room. You are only allowed to enter those areas unless I have given you permission. Understand?"

 

The girl nodded her head. She could understand why he didn't want her in those areas. His bedroom is his personal space, and she had no reason to go prying in there. She also understood why he didn't want her in the meeting room. She might end up distracting those in the meeting, or do something completely stupid to embarrass not only herself, but Hanzo.

 

"By the way, you wouldn't mind helping around the castle, would you?"

 

"H-helping with what, exactly?"

 

"Just simple chores. I don't trust hiring any butlers or maids as I fear they might reveal some important information. Or they might end up being spies from enemy clans, Overwatch, or from some other corporation. I can trust you...At least I hope so."

 

"No! You can trust me!" Edith blurted. She was horrified when she realized she raised her voice. Edith had never yelled at anyone in fear. Once again, another chuckle escaped from the man's lips.

 

"Alright then. I will entrust you with doing simple chores, such as laundry, cooking, and cleaning around the palace."

 

"D-do you uh...clean differently around here...or..."

 

"Just do everything like you would back home. As for cooking...I hope you can cook."

 

Nope. Edith couldn't cook to save her life. She couldn't believe that this man was entrusting his life to her with her terrible skills in making food. All she could do was heat up snacks or popcorn. The only time she did cook was pretend cooking and helping her mother out with making cakes or brownies, and she didn't even do much of the work. All she did was hand her mother the ingredients, such as eggs, flour, or sugar. Other than that, she didn't do much. For some reason, Edith felt too afraid to tell him that she was unable to cook. It was important for him to know! If he found out she didn't make his favorite dish right, she was certainly going to get punished. No, he wouldn't actually punish her for a simple mistake. Right? Edith snapped out of her thoughts as she felt the man's leather glove caress her cheek again. The brunette lifted her head up to meet his gaze.

 

"From this day forward, you belong to the Shimada Clan."

 

He leaned into the girl's ear, whispering in the same seductive from before,

 

"You belong to me."

 

With nothing else to say, Hanzo left the room, leaving the girl by herself. Suddenly, a question arose in the girl's mind. Where was she going to sleep? Right as she turned around, Hanzo had already left. Edith stood where she was, uncertain what to do now. She felt too afraid to leave this room, but at the same time she wanted to get out of there. The girl turned around and stared at the bed. Was this her room for now, or was this his room? Edith didn't even care at this point.  She collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, trying to tell herself that this was all a dream. This has to be a dream. She's still sleeping inside of that car and hadn't actually woken up. No, none of this ever even happened. Once she wakes up, she’ll be back in her old room. She’ll be back with her parents again. Edith’s thoughts were interrupted as Hanzo returned to her room and said to her,

 

"I forgot to mention your shoes. I don't want you wearing them unless we go out. For now, just wear these."

 

He tossed the pantyhose onto the bed, landing next to the girl. Edith looked at them with a blank expression. She wasn't certain whether or not he was making her dress like she was going to some kind of formal dance. If anything, she felt like he was forcing her to dress up like this so he could just stare at her body. With reluctance, Edith took the pantyhose and tossed them off of her bed. Hanzo left the room again, but before he left, he added,

 

"This will be your room for now. But when we get married, you'll sleep in my room."

 

Edith cringed at the idea of sharing a bed with him. Sure, Hanzo was handsome and all, but she did not like the idea of being in the same bed with him. Once he had left, Edith was all by herself again. Edith let out a frustrated sigh. How was she going to live in this place? She wanted to go back home to her mother and father. She wanted to see them again. Edith wanted to run back to Hanzo and beg for him to let her go back home. There was no way they could get along or be married. For all she knew, he could be twice her age. Edith is way too young to be marrying somebody either way!

She should be getting ready for college. She should be back at home in her room, in her bed, getting texts from her friends, especially Cara. Edith hadn't realized she didn't have her cellphone with her. He must've taken it from her. Now how was she going to calm herself down? Hanzo probably thought she was going to text her friends for help. Like they would believe her anyway. Edith sat herself up, pulling her knees up to her chest. How was she going to live in this place? How was she going to survive? She was certainly going to die here. Edith didn't want to think about the negative things that could happen to her, but she couldn't help it.

She didn't want to know what Hanzo meant by "punishing" her. He better not meant it in a sexual kind of way. If he did, then there was no way she was going to stay with him. She wasn't into that! As a matter of fact, she didn't even want to do anything sexual with that man at all! She didn't trust him, not even with the simplest of secrets about her. Edith began crying at the thought of spending the rest of her life with this man. The idea of him hurting her for simple mistakes and for pleasure scared her. The girl buried her face in her knees, crying to herself.

 

"I wanna go home." She whimpered. "I wanna go home!"

 

No matter how many times she would cry, she knew that she was never, ever going to go back home. She'll never see the faces of her mother, father, or her sister ever again. She'll never see her friends' faces again. She'll never get to go to college and live the life she had hoped for. She was never going to life a normal, happy life ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been posting lately and I apologize for that. Schools been a little rough for me lately and it drained me of any motivation. Since the new OW event is coming soon, I might be posting more!


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days had gone by so slowly. Seconds felt like hours, hours felt like days, and days felt like centuries. It was as if time had extended during her time at the Shimada Castle. Perhaps it was because of her boredom and the lack of having fun. Or she had never realized how slow time actually was. The only thing that kept Edith occupied was doing her chores. Though they were mundane, it was what kept Edith from thinking about how long the day had felt. One of her chores was going outside to check on the small garden. The flowers were incredibly lovely. Edith had never seen anything like them in her life. Maybe that was because she always kept herself cooped up inside. Whenever she was outside, she got the chance to look at how large the Shimada Castle was. On the outside it was beautiful, however the aura was completely different on the inside. It felt gloomy and menacing with all of the men around. Edith felt terrified every day waking up to see strangers glancing at her whenever she walked down the lonely hallways. Edith had always thought she was alone, but here she felt even more lonely than before.

Not just that, but she always felt on edge. She feared that the men would try and attack her. Their appearance were enough to let Edith know she should leave them alone. Edith feared that she might anger one of them, or they would come and attack her for no other reason. Thankfully, they all kept their distance. Most of the time they just ignored her and minded their own business. Maybe Hanzo threatened them with their lives if they tried to hurt her? It was the only thing that Edith could think of. Either that or they just knew if they tried to hurt her, they would get in serious trouble. After all, Hanzo was the boss of them. He was the head of this entire clan. It would make sense if he told them not to bother her. Hopefully he told them that.

 

Edith spent most of her days doing as she promised her fiance. She did the chores that he had told her to do. She cleaned around the palace, washed the dirty clothes and put them up to dry, watered the plants, cleaned the dirty dishes and sorted them out, and lastly, tried to cook dinner or lunch. Edith never asked Hanzo what he liked to eat. She just made him what she could without actually trying to cook. Never in her entire life had Edith ever tried to cook. All she could do was microwave snacks like popcorn, and make sandwiches. Every time she made Hanzo something to eat, he seemed more intrigued than disappointed. Usually Edith just made him a sandwich, since she wasn't certain what Hanzo wanted to eat. To her surprise, Hanzo ate it. He said nothing to her after he finished. He never even thanked her.

As a matter of fact, he rarely spoke to her since they had met. Edith couldn't recall a single time they had a single conversation. How was she going to marry a man she knew nothing about? She wanted to try and talk to him, except she was too scared. From their last conversation, Edith wasn't sure if she even wanted to try and talk to him. The girl thought that Hanzo didn't want to talk to her either until they got married. Maybe it was because he thought she wasn't worthy yet to be acknowledged by him. Or he was too busy and didn't have time to have a conversation with her. It had to be either of the two. There was no way that Hanzo could be as shy as he was. He appeared to be much more confident than her. Quiet and distant, but confident. One day they would have to talk to one another. Until then, Edith would continue doing her chores and wait patiently.

 

All her life, Edith had hated going outside. When she was a little girl, she enjoyed it. Then a few years later, she began to get bullied by the neighborhood children, so she ended up staying inside, avoiding any contact with the outside world. Her parents had to constantly move away to a new home, so Edith never got to see those awful people again. However she did remain inside her house all the time. There was no point in trying to make friends if she was just going to end up moving two weeks later. The only time Edith  went out was when she was forced to by her family for special events, shopping, or if her friends invited her to parties. She always hated being outside, but now standing out here, she felt at peace. For once in her life, she could finally appreciate the nature she had feared as a child.

Edith enjoyed watching the petals from the cherry blossoms fall. Sometimes they would land in her brunette hair, causing her to pull them out. Though the scenery was beautiful, the girl never did get to feel truly at peace as the guards made her feel anxious. Whenever Edith went out to water the plants, she noticed a few of them standing outside near the exit doors. Their hateful gaze made her immediately return back to her duties before they could snap at her for getting distracted. The girl hated it when they stared at her. She was aware that her fiance didn't fully trust her, but she wasn't stupid enough to try and escape. It would be suicide. But if Edith could no longer handle being trapped in this prison, then she would actually consider running away. But where would she go? It wasn't like anyone was going to actually try and help her. They won't understand her. They would just brush her off as a crazy girl.

Once Edith had finished her chores, she would return back to her room until it was time to make dinner. With nothing to entertain her, Edith just stared up at the ceiling. In a place like this, Edith could no longer take naps. Her heart would beat rapidly at the thought of somebody would sneak into her room and try to harm her. Sadly, Edith could get a weapon to protect her. If all eyes were on her constantly, surely one of the men would report back to Hanzo about her having a weapon in her bedroom. The only way the girl could feel truly safe was locking the door. Sadly she was not able to do so as there was no lock on the door. All Edith could do was hide in the bathroom, which did have a lock. The girl let her mind wander as she day dreamed about returning home once she married. She imagined herself reuniting with her family, happily embracing her parents tightly, apologizing to them for the awful and negative thoughts she had once thought about them. She would tell them how much she loved them and how thankful she was to have them. She would also imagined Rosa being there. It had been so long since the girl had seen her older sister. Her job at Overwatch had prevented her from visiting them. It wasn't because she didn't want to, it was because she didn't want any of their enemies to track them down and kill them.

Sadly, the GraciaZ and the Shimada Clan already found them.

Edith wondered how Rosa was doing. Was she aware that her little sister had been taken away? Did her parents tell her? Do they even care at this point? Are they actually sad that she's gone, or are they grateful that they no longer have to worry about their pathetic, useless daughter? They probably were happy. Maybe even her friends were happy too. They wouldn't have to worry about trying to force her to go to their parties anymore. She had always been the third wheel every time she went with them. Maybe it was for the best that she was gone. Everyone must be happy and celebrating that she was no longer a burden in their lives. Rosa's probably happy to, knowing that her stupid, annoying little sister is gone forever.

The girl cried at the thought that her own big sister would actually think that. Rosa had always been the one there to help her and protect her. She was the one who had to stand up for her, she was the one who had to take care of her while mom and dad were gone. It was always Rosa that had to watch over her, until she finally got to join Overwatch. Edith must be the reason why Rosa doesn't want to visit anymore. Because of her, Rosa felt like she was an annoyance, so she left to go join Overwatch so she didn't have to deal with her anymore. Now that she was gone, neither she or her parents had to worry about her.

Maybe it was for the best that she was gone.

Whenever night did fall and it was time to go to bed, Edith had to wear a white, silky nightgown every night. Hanzo had given it to her a week after she had been there. Before, Edith slept in the same clothes she had worn in the morning. When Edith looked at the gown, she was very disappointed. It was see-through. What was with Hanzo and see-through clothes? Why does he always make her dress up in such lewd clothing?  Sadly, there was nothing else she could wear besides it. It was comfy whenever she slept it in, though. Except it didn't look right on her body. It looked like it belonged on the body of a much, bustier woman. Not on some girl that was nothing but flat and skinny. Right as Edith would fall asleep, she discovered that she was not even safe in her dreams. 

The girl constantly had nightmares. Whenever she woke up, she couldn't remember much about them. All she knew was they had something to do with Hanzo. Whenever the memories of the nightmares returned, Edith tried to forget them and continued her day. The nightmares had gotten so bad, Edith had to force herself to stay awake. No matter how much she forced herself to stay up, sleep would always win and Edith fell asleep. Her sleep schedule began to get worse as she was constantly tired after the day and made dinner way early. Thankfully nobody came into her room and told her to cook dinner anymore. But during the night, all Edith could do was just lie in bed. She didn't have her cellphone to entertain her. There was no books in the room to read, nothing to draw on. There was absolutely nothing inside of that room besides those stupid dresses.

Edith didn't even dare to leave her bedroom at night. She didn't want to be confronted by her fiance. The only thing she could do was just wait until she grew tired. Edith hoped that one day she would get her phone back. She hoped that she could finally feel at peace and stop having to worry about being watched constantly. But as she tried to assure herself everything would be alright, deep down, she believed nothing was ever going to be alright.

 

Morning had arrived finally, freeing Edith from her hellish prison of nightmares. The girl opened her heavy eyes, fearing to know if was still asleep or not. As she sat up, she looked around the room to see if anything was out of place, or if there was anybody inside her room. Luckily, nobody was around and nothing seemed different. Right as she was going to get out of bed, she noticed a piece of paper lying beside her. It was a letter. Edith picked it up and read it.

 

"My beloved Edith,

I apologize for the lack of communication with you. I have been busy dealing with other clans and the pesky Overwatch members hunting us down. I am having an important meeting with the clan elders today and I hope for you to come to the meeting. I also want you to serve us dinner at the meeting.

I hope to see you there.

Sincerely, your beloved fiance."

 

"Beloved?" He was anything but beloved. Edith tossed the letter aside, feeling even more stressed. How in the world was she going to cook food for a bunch of men she never met in her entire life? Edith couldn't cook at all! Maybe she should finally tell Hanzo that so he won't get upset when she ends up screwing up their meals. But what if he gets angry with her if she does tell him? Will he kick her out and throw her into the streets of a place she doesn't know well? Surely he isn't that cruel. Maybe Hanzo will be nice with her. Then again, he might not be. Edith got out of bed, putting on the dress she had been forced to wear for the past few weeks.

She had to wash it everyday as she didn't like the other dresses Hanzo had in her closet. They were dresses meant for more "mature" women. Edith missed wearing her old, comfy pajamas and hoodie. They covered up her stupid body, making it look like she wasn't as petite as she looked. As the girl made her way to the kitchen, she noticed that everything was quiet. Too quiet. Nobody had been in sight. She hadn't seen a single person in the hallways. Perhaps the meeting was already happening. Or they were at their posts. Or she was awake way earlier than they were. Finally, Edith arrived at the kitchen. She wasn't sure what her fiance wanted to make her. It didn't say on the note. Looks like Edith will have to actually try and cook, much to her dismay.

Hesitantly, she opened the fridge and looked around to see what she could possibly use. Most of the food inside was food she didn't recognize, other than eggs and butter. The girl took them out, placing them on the counter. Edith then opened the cabinets, pulling out the pots and pans. She tried to figure out which ones she should use. Didn't Hanzo have some kind of cookbook lying around somewhere? Edith quickly searched the kitchen only to find nothing. Maybe he hid it somewhere. But where? It must be in his room. Why couldn't he have told her what he wanted her to make? Why does she have to responsible for making dinner for a bunch of old men she's never met in her entire life? The frustrated girl opened all of the cabinets, only to find them filled with either plates, cups, and spices. Edith grabbed some seasonings and placed them on the counter. She had no idea what she was going to make. Actually, she had no idea what she was doing.

Edith then pulled out a jug of milk from the fridge. Right as she was about to place it down, she heard a familiar voice speak up, causing her to freeze immediately,

 

"What are you doing?"

 

Slowly, the girl turned around, holding the jug of milk tightly. Standing at the doorway was her fiance. He stared at her with a stoic expression and a hint of confusion in his eyes. Edith quickly placed the milk on the counter and stuttered while trying to explain herself.

 

"I-I um...I was...I-I read your note this morning and I...I um...I was trying to make you...y-your dinner."

 

"It's morning. Shouldn't you be making breakfast?"

 

Edith felt her stomach drop. She felt like a complete fool. What was she supposed to say now? She waited for the man to laugh at her again like he did before. She waited for him to make some comment about how stupid she was. Instead, the man let out a soft chuckle. It didn't sound cruel like his laughter. It was rather light-hearted. Hanzo began approaching the girl and said to her,

 

"You could have told me you didn't know how to cook."

 

"I-I..." The girl lowered her head as she mumbled, "Are you...upset with me?"

 

"Why would I be? It would be pointless to be upset with you for something you are unable to do. It's not your fault."

 

"I-I'm sorry..."

 

"No need to apologize. I wished you told me sooner, but I guess it was a little obvious as you constantly made me the same thing every day."

 

Edith was about to apologize again, only for her to stop herself. Hanzo began putting everything back up while telling her,

 

"You don't need to be worried about dinner right now, my dear. It would end up getting cold once the evening arrives."

 

"You're right..."

 

The girl held one arm tightly, looking away from the man as he returned everything back the way it was. Once he had finished, Hanzo looked at the girl. He noticed her expression, making him feel a little guilty. To cheer her up, he decided to offer her a little help for later.

 

"How about I teach you how to cook?"

 

Edith's eyes widened in surprise. "R-really?"

 

"Of course."

 

The girl was slightly taken aback. She didn't really expect Hanzo to know how to cook. He seemed like the kind of man who rather have someone else make his food. Edith then remembered about the note Hanzo had given to her.

 

"What about the meeting? Don't you have to get ready for that?

 

"We'll do it before then. Right now you need to eat your breakfast."

 

Oh, so now he was being considerate of her? Why was he talking to her now all of the sudden? Why is he acting so...nice? He hadn't been the first time they met. She'll probably never know. Edith decided she would eat and get to her chores quickly. She didn't know what time the meeting was, so hopefully she'll be ready then. As Edith pulled out the box of cereal, Hanzo said to her,

 

"You know, you don't have to wear that dress everyday, right?"

 

"I know."

 

"Then why aren't you wearing the other dresses I have for you?"

 

The girl remained quiet, trying to come up with an excuse. She didn't want to be too honest, nor did she want to lie. As she got the milk out of the fridge, she replied to her fiance's question,

 

"They're too big for me."

 

That was an obvious lie, even Hanzo knew that.

 

"Really? Are they actually that big, or are you not wearing them because you're worried they'll show off your body?"

 

Edith didn't respond. She attempted to not give him the reaction he wanted from her. It failed miserably as she held tightly onto the spoon she pulled out. Edith didn't want to give into whatever game he was playing. She wasn't going to let him win. It would only satisfy him if she did show one sign of emotions. The girl let out a yelp as she felt Hanzo press himself against her from behind. She could feel his arms wrapping around her small body, preventing her from escape. The girl trembled with fear, worrying what he was planning on doing to her. Hanzo leaned into the girl's ear, whispering with a seductive tone,

 

"You know I don't care what your body looks like, right? I think you would look beautiful in any dress you wore."

 

"Pl-please..." The girl trembled, gripping even tighter onto the spoon she held. She was tempted to jam it into his eye, however too afraid to even break free from his grasps. "Please...don't touch me..."

 

To her shock, Hanzo let her go. She could hear him taking a few steps away from her, and the sound of his the leather glove tightening as he gripped his fist. Edith guessed that she made him upset for not allowing him to take advantage of her. The girl waited to feel him pull her around and smack her across the face. Thankfully he didn't. Hanzo fixed his tie and cleared his throat, allowing Edith to escape quickly before he could try and grab her again. She sat down at the table, eating her cereal while Hanzo spoke to her.

 

"I expect you to go to the meeting today as well."

 

"Why do you want me there?" The girl questioned without trying to sound too sassy. "Do you want to just show me off to a bunch of old men?"

 

Hanzo let out another chuckle. "No. They are aware we are going to wed, but they want to know what you look like. They will also be the ones to see whether or not they like you."

 

So a bunch of old men were going to judge her whether or not she was worthy or not to be his wife. If they say "no," does that mean she can go back home, or will she be forced to stay here?

 

"Do...do they speak English?"

 

"A little bit. I do not want you to speak to them unless I give you permission. If they ask you a question you cannot or do not want to answer, I will speak on your behalf. Do you understand?"

 

She nodded her head in agreement.

 

"I will see you then."

 

"Wait, can I ask you something first?"

 

The dark haired man stopped in his tracks, turning to the girl and raised one eyebrow. "Yes?"

 

"Where did you put my cell phone? I have important stuff on there like photos, game data and stuff."

 

He gave her a scoff. "You do not need your cellphone. Until I completely trust you, I'll give it back. And besides, I want you to pay attention to the world around you, not just a small, digital device that distracts you of your duties."

 

"Well can you at least give me some paper to draw on?"

 

"Like I said before, until I trust you, I will give you something to entertain yourself. I do not want you to try and contact any Overwatch members, such as your sister."

 

Before she could snap at him, Hanzo had already left. Edith couldn't believe him! What was she supposed to do for the rest of her life, just stupid, boring chores? This isn't how a married life is suppose to work! Edith felt like Hanzo saw her as nothing more than a slave instead of a wife. Perhaps that's what she was to him. Maybe he thought this was what a married life was like. Well, it wasn't supposed to be like that! Edith didn't want to be married to a man who saw her as nothing more than a maid or a servant. Perhaps he treated her like this because he didn't like her. It could be because his clan elders want him to treat her like garbage. It infuriated the girl, knowing she was never going to be truly loved. 

Then again, who would want to marry a girl like her? Edith let out a sigh. There was no reason in getting angry about it now. She would just have to accept how things were, even though she didn't want to. Edith finished her breakfast and immediately went to her chores. She ignored the others as they walked passed her while she mopped the floor. She then began dusting off every room that was littered with dust. The only rooms she didn't go into were Hanzo's room and the meeting room. Once she had finished with that, she made her way outside to check on the plants. The flowers were looking alright. There was nothing to do other than just look at the petals from the cherry blossom trees fall onto the ground.

Edith then noticed that there were no guards at the exit area. This could be her chance to run away! No...this had to be a test of some kind. There must be somebody around watching her. The girl looked around and saw nobody in sight. Not a single soul. Edith then noticed a path near the stone bridge. Curious, she approached it and found that it lead to another side of the garden. She found herself in what appeared to be a target practice range. The targets were littered with arrows. Edith paid no attention to them and stared at what lied beyond the castle. She stared at the tall buildings from afar. She had never seen a large city in her entire life. She had only lived in small areas that weren't very crowded. After staring off in the distance, Edith realized that she was indeed far from home.

If only her parents could see it. Tears rolled down her cheek as the thought of her family returned to her. No, she can't cry now. She can't let anybody know she was crying. Edith rubbed her eyes, reminding herself that she had to prepare dinner for later. But it was still the morning, wasn't it? Yeah, it had to be. Maybe she can finish the rest of her chores and come back here. The girl left the area and made her way back inside the castle. She stopped in her tracks and looked up at the painting of the two dragons that was on the wall. They both looped around one another in the painting. One dragon was blue, and the other was green. Edith wondered how long it took to paint that picture. Did they actually paint it or did they use something else? Surely if it was painted, it must have taken a long time. Whoever did it, they did a pretty incredible job. Edith continued her way in and went back to finish her chores.

Once she had finished, she realized how tired she was. It must be because of the lack of sleep she had been getting. Edith could only think about going back to her room and taking a quick nap. It wouldn't hurt to, right? She made her way back to her room, collapsing onto the large, comfy bed. She nuzzled her head on the pillow, not giving a care about anything else other than sleep. Suddenly, she remembered about cooking dinner for tonight. Should she prepare for that now? No, Hanzo said they would do it later. Then again, it wouldn't hurt to prepare early. Also, she was going to the meeting. She should probably find a dress to wear instead of this one.  The girl got up from the bed, opening the closet doors to find the other dresses inside. Edith was a little creeped out by the amount of dresses inside of the closet. Why did Hanzo have all of these here? Where they gifts from past lovers? Did they use to belong to somebody inside the palace? Reluctantly, Edith pulled out the first dress she was offered the first day she arrived here. She made her way into the bathroom, locking the door behind her so nobody walked in on her. She began taking off her other dress, avoiding the mirror. Once she put the red dress on, she stood in front of the mirror to see what she looked like.

Edith frowned in disgust. It didn't look right on her body. It looked out of place. Not only that, it exposed her chest too much...actually, it exposed what little of a chest she had.  Edith hated it. She hated how she looked. She looked disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Her body wasn't meant to wear a dress like this. Furious, she tore it off of her body and threw it aside. She never wanted to look at it ever again. She went back out and grabbed a few more dresses from the closet. One of the dresses was dark and incredibly tight. When Edith put it on, she too didn't like how it looked. It showed the lack of curves on her body. Edith also tore that dress off, angry with the results. She continued putting on more dresses and like all the others, she tore them off and threw them out. Each one looked awful on her. They were beautiful and gorgeous, but on her they were hideous and disgusting. They did not belong on a body like hers. Some dresses were too tight, some exposed too much skin, and were just too long. Edith hated looking at them in the mirror as they constantly reminded her how ugly her body was.

Not a single dress looked good on her. The only one was the black and blue dress. Everything else looked terrible. Edith stared at the pile of dresses she tossed out in her room. She felt a burning rage inside her. The girl grabbed one of the dresses, clutching onto the fabric tightly. Why couldn't she look more beautiful? Why couldn't she have a bigger chest? Why couldn't her hips be wider? Why couldn't she look like all of the other girls? Why couldn't she look like a mature young woman instead of looking like a child that hadn't started puberty? In a blinding rage, Edith began to rip at the dress, only to fail miserably.

 

She hated them.

She hated them!

She hated all of them!

 

Without thinking, Edith took all of them and threw them out of her room. She didn't care if the others saw her. She didn't care at all! She hated having these stupid things! They don't belong to her! After littering the hallways with the dresses, Edith slammed the door shut. She collapsed onto her bed, buying her head into the pillow and crying. She must look pathetic right now. If Hanzo were to walk in on her now, he would find her sobbing and completely naked, excluding for her pantyhose and underwear. She didn't care. If he wanted to know what her body looked like, fine! He can get a glance at what she looks like and throw her out like the garbage she was! After a few minutes passed by, Edith had finally calmed herself down. She put on her old dress, wiping away the tears from her face. Though she had worn this dress everyday, it was the only thing she could wear. Even if it exposed her back, it didn't expose anything else. Edith went back to her bed and lied down, curling up in a ball.  Most women wouldn't give a damn what the dresses they wore looked like. They would wear them with no problem whatsoever. In fact, they would embrace it. They would show off their gorgeous bodies to others. Edith wasn't like that. She always wanted to cover and hide her body.

Perhaps some women would want a body like hers, but who honestly would want her body? She had no breasts or any curvy hips. She had been mistaken as a boy many times before. Some even thought she was a boy. She couldn't prove anything to show she was a girl. Tears began forming once again as the thoughts clouded her mind. Why didn't she have a body like all the other girls? Even other petite women had some curves and breasts, but why didn't she? Why was she cursed with this awful, ugly body? Why would  Hanzo want to marry a girl that looked absolutely nothing like a celebrity. Why her? She probably will never know why. Then again, Hanzo might not even love her. His acts of kindness and his compliments could all be lies. It wouldn't be the first time she had been lied to before.  Edith hadn't realized she felt completely drained as her eyes grew heavy. They stung as she closed her eyes with the tears still dripping down onto the pillow she lied her head on. As she grew more and more weary, Edith prayed that the meeting would go alright. She hoped none of them tried anything on her. She prayed they would just ignore her completely and talk to Hanzo instead. Her stress finally faded as she fell asleep, her worries gone for a short while. They would only return once she had awaken.

 

When Edith awoke from her long nap, she noticed that the room was dark. Was it already night? Realization hit her as she forgot that it was almost time for dinner! Quickly, she got out of her bed and through her drowsy state, went to the bathroom to fix herself up. She opened up the drawers and to her luck, she found what she was looking for. Edith took one of the brushes, forcing herself to pull against her dark, tangled hair. She probably should have taken a shower too, that way it would've been much easier to brush. Edith didn't feel comfortable about wearing makeup. Hopefully Hanzo wouldn't care if she did or not. Edith finished getting ready and satisfied with the results, began making her way to the door. She stopped immediately when she heard a heavy knock. The girl then remembered that she had thrown all of her dresses outside in the hallways. Perhaps one of the men wanted to make sure if she was alright? No, they would have opened the door and tossed the dress back in. Edith placed her hand on the door knob, getting ready to pull. Taking a deep breath, Edith opened the door. Hanzo was waiting for her, holding a pile of some of the dresses she threw out. Hanzo was the last person she was expecting. The girl could feel her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he held her dresses. 

 

"H-hello..." she mumbled.

 

The man didn't reply. He held up the dresses at her and asked with his calm tone,

 

"May I ask...why are all of these outside of your room?"

 

Edith averted her eyes away from the man's gaze once again. "I..." she stuttered. "I...I just didn't like them."

 

"Why don't you want them?"

 

"Because..." The girl hesitated. "Because I don't like them."

 

"Oh?" Hanzo cocked one eyebrow up. "Why don't you like them?"

 

"B-because...because they look bad."

 

The girl folded her arms, her head hung low. She waited for him to just drop the subject, but it seemed like he didn't want to.

 

"Edith, I spent good money on these dresses. Surely you'll give them one more chance to try them on."

 

"I don't want to ever try them on again." Edith blurted. "I hate them. They don't look good on me. Just give them to somebody else! I'm sure you can make more money by selling them."

 

The dark haired man let out a scoff. He tossed the dresses back into her room, angering her. He really didn't care how she felt, did he? Edith was about to throw them back out, only to feel Hanzo's hand grab her wrist.

 

"Come, my dear. The meeting is going to begin soon."

 

Reluctantly, Edith followed the man. They arrived at the kitchen with nobody inside except them. Edith watched as the man pulled out some items from the cabinets and fridge. As he sat them on the counter, he motioned for the girl to come join him. She did so with reluctance, keeping her distance from the man. Just in case he tried to grab her, she would run away. That was the plan. What would happen if he caught her, Edith didn't know.

 

"I'll be showing you how to make ramen.

 

"O-okay..." That should be easy to make. It's just like cooking regular noodles.

 

Before she could start though, she better wash her hands. She didn't want her fiance to think she was dirty. Once she had finished, Hanzo took out a saucepan, placing it in the sink. He turned the faucet on and said, "Wait until it is about 2 in a half cups full."

 

"I don't know measurements!" Edith exclaimed. "I suck at math!"

 

The man pointed approximately at where he wanted the water to stop at. "Right here is when you should stop it. Once you do, place it on the stove to let it boil."

 

Edith nodded her head. She watched as the water slowly rose up to where she saw Hanzo point at. Meanwhile, he was getting a few more bowls out, placing them on the counter. Edith ignored the man. She didn't want to give him any attention or have the water over fill. Once the water had reached its stopping point, Edith pulled the sauce pan out and placed it on the stove. She noticed that the stove wasn't set to anything.

 

"What do you want me to set it to?"

 

"Wait, we need to add the noodles, first."

 

Hanzo took the bag that was resting on the counter. He opened the bag with his bare hands. Usually Edith would open bags up by cutting them open. That was only if they were difficult to tear open. Hanzo then handed the back to Edith, motioning for her to pour it. She wasn't sure if he wanted all of them in or just a little bit. Edith decided to pour the entire thing into the saucepan.

 

"Good. Now set it to a boiling temperature."

 

"Um..." The girl stared at the stove. She wasn't sure how high he wanted the temperature to be. To her shock, she felt him take her hand, motioning it over the saucepan and turned the knob, pointing it at the word "high." Edith retracted her hand away quickly, uncertain why he didn't point to it.

 

"Let it cook for about two minutes. Then after that, we can add a little flavor."

 

"I'm not good with telling time, you know."

 

"I'm surprised you graduated high school then."

 

Edith was about to give him a comeback, but couldn't think of anything clever to say. Hanzo gave a triumphant grin. Edith was tempted to smack him across the face, wanting to wipe that stupid smile away. She hated how he mocked her. Or he was teasing her. No, he was definitely mocking her. Hanzo probably went to some upper-class school. Maybe that's why he felt more prideful. Even so, that didn't give him the right to make her feel like garbage.

 

"Don't worry. I'll let you know when the two minutes are done. Just make sure nothing happens to the food, alright?"

 

The girl kept her eyes on the boiling noodles. She was still uncertain about why Hanzo was being so nice. Was he, or was he pretending? Yeah, he had to be. He was being too friendly to her today. Edith also wondered why he decided to talk to her today. They hadn't spoken to one another since she first arrived here. Sure they saw one another time to time, but they never spoke at all. Edith guessed the meeting was why Hanzo wasn't able to speak to her. This might be his only day he can actually have a conversation with her. Or he was only talking to her because of the meeting. Perhaps if the elders approve of her, then he will show her respect. And if they don't, he'll stop talking to her and everything will go back to the way they once were. Except she wouldn't get to go back home. She would be forced to stay here.

But what if Hanzo was actually being nice to her? Since the elders were coming to see her, Hanzo decided this could be his chance to try and make up for his rudeness. Well, he didn't get to make up for it as he was still being mean to her. Edith wanted to assume he was actually teasing her, but she couldn't tell. It was always hard to tell when somebody was being nice and teasing her or when someone was actually being mean to her. With a man like him, it was difficult to figure out what he was thinking. Edith feared that one simple mistake could immediately switch his gentleman persona off to a more violent and cruel one. Edith knew assuming who people were was wrong, except when it came to a man like Hanzo, there was so many alarm bells going off in her head that told her he was dangerous. His looks, his background, the fact that the Shimada Clan and the GraciaZ knew one another...surely there was something dangerous about him.

When Edith turned around to look at the man, she noticed that his back was facing her. He was organizing the bowls in a line. Hanzo turned his head to look at the girl, causing her to turn away quickly. She must have reacted too late. Hopefully he didn't catch her staring at him. He probably thought she was staring at his butt or something. Now he's going to think she's a pervert! If only she looked away much quicker, then he wouldn't have noticed her staring. All of the sudden, she could feel him pressing his body against her. Edith let out a squeak as he wrapped his arms around her once more. The man chuckled at her reaction. The girl wanted to slither her way out of the man's grasps. She didn't like how tightly he held her, however Edith knew it was futile to even try and wiggle her way out.

 

"It's been two minutes. Let's start adding some flavor." The way he said "flavor" caused the girl to shudder. Edith hated how close he was to her. She didn't like how trapped she felt. It was even worse as she felt his chest moving as he breathed. Hanzo opened some of the season packages, handing them to Edith. Her hands trembled, worrying she might end up dropping it into the saucepan. She sprinkled some of the seasoning into the pot while Hanzo continued standing behind her.

 

"Good..." He murmured. "Let it boil for a few more seconds until the powder fades."

 

The girl followed as he said, watching as the powder dissolved into the water. She tensed up as she began to feel the man's hands slither down her hips. She wanted to tell him to stop. She didn't want him to take this any further. They weren't married yet, and she didn't want to have her innocence taken right here with this man she barely knew, let alone a man she barely loved. Somebody might walk in on them! Suddenly, Hanzo pulled the girl closer to his chest, nearly causing Edith to drop the seasoning. Edith wasn't sure if he was trying to seduce her or snuggle with her. Either way, she didn't like it. After a few seconds, Hanzo instructed the girl,

 

"Begin stirring now. Don't try to pry anything apart. They'll separate on their own."

 

Edith got the wooden spoon, stirring the noodles with her trembling hands. Hanzo took notice and held one hand on top of hers. She stopped as he explained, "Don't do it so quickly. Stir it slowly." He continued holding the girl's, stirring gently with a slow pace. Edith's hands still trembled as his leather hand wrapped around her. When he let go, Edith continued trying to mimic the motion he did.

 

"Good. Very good."

 

The tone he spoke in made the girl shudder. She didn't want to admit it, but it did sound soothing. Right now wasn't the place to be admiring his voice. As a matter of fact, she shouldn't be admiring it at all. Sadly, Edith did have a weakness with men that had deep and gentle voices. She hated the fact that Hanzo of all people had that kind of voice.

 

"Now, lets carefully remove the pan from the stove."

 

Edith nodded her head. Hanzo finally let the girl go, allowing her to remove the saucepan from the stove. She placed it on the counter, waiting for it to cool. Edith then turned to look at Hanzo and asked him,

 

"How long do we have until the meeting?"

 

"Do not worry yourself about that. You get stressed so easily over things that don't concern you."

 

'It isn't my fault I get stressed so easily though.' Edith wished she said that, but instead she remained silent. How she wished she had the courage to speak up, but what would Hanzo's response be? Would he mock her? Would he assure her she didn't need to worry so much, or accuse her of acting like she was always stressed? A few minutes passed by and Edith decided to carefully poured the ramen into the multiple bowls Hanzo had brought out. Thankfully she wasn't going to have to make anymore. Now that the cooking part was over, the next thing she had to do was add more stuff. Hanzo went to one of the cabinets that had the seasonings.

Edith looked at the ramen she had made. It seemed like it was so simple to make it, and yet it felt like it wasn't at the same time. She wondered if it actually was as simple as it looked. Maybe it only felt hard because Edith didn't know how to do it. She then realized that she would have to do this more in the future. It seemed like Hanzo could cook for himself, so why does he need her to make his food? The girl was taken out of her thoughts as Hanzo said to her,

 

"Most of the men coming will want these in their ramen."

 

He placed the seasonings on the counter. Edith stared at them, asking,

 

"How...how much do they like?"

 

"A tablespoon should do."

 

With that, Edith added the additional ingredients into the food. She added curry powder, some sesame oil, and some scallions. Hanzo made sure the girl didn't add too much or would end up ruining the meal. Both were uncertain how the others would react to her cooking. Edith believed they wouldn't like it, however Hanzo believed that they would. Edith decided to add some sliced meat. When she went to the fridge to get the meat, she realized she would have to cook it and slice it. Did they even have time to add it? Luckily her fiance read her mind and went to help her. He took out some of the meat and heated it up in the microwave for a few seconds. After it was heated, he took it out and went to get a wooden board and a carving knife. He held it up to Edith, waiting for her to take it. Edith took the knife from him and he told her,

 

"You must be careful with this. You'll cut yourself."

 

"Since when did you start caring about my well being?"

 

The girl's eyes widened after she realized she actually spoke her thoughts out loud. A chuckle escaped from the man's lips as he told her,

 

"Since we first met."

 

Edith let out a sigh of relief, thankful he didn't react negatively. 

 

"I do not want you to cut yourself and bleed out. Let me help you with this."

 

Once again, Hanzo pressed his body right against Edith's back. He took both her hands, motioning them on the wooden board and placing the knife above the meat. The girl's hands trembled once more.

 

"Slice through the meat with pressure, but make sure the knife isn't too close to your fingers."

 

The girl nodded her head. It wasn't like she hadn't used a knife before. She used it to slice up oranges and quesadillas back home. For some reason, it felt like she completely forgot how to use it as the man's hands wrapped around hers, controlling her like a puppet. Edith did as the man instructed, slicing chunks of meat off, carefully making sure she didn't cut herself. Once she sliced them into smaller pieces, Hanzo pulled himself away and let the girl place the pieces into the bowls. Edith looked over at the bowls, making sure they looked alright. Edith wasn't sure if there was going to be enough. Hopefully there were. She also wasn't sure which one was going to be Hanzo's. Maybe he'll just chose one. 

 

"They look delicious." The man commented. "I can't wait to try out what you made, my darling."

 

All of the sudden, Hanzo leaned down and kissed the girl on the cheek. To her shock, she pulled herself away from him, staring at him with wide eyes. The girl was uncertain how to react. Her cheeks were flushed, her heart was beating rapidly, and her mind raced with confusion. She placed her hand on her cheek, feeling a mix of so many emotions. Hanzo had never been so affectionate to her ever since she came here. He never showed any sign of emotions towards her besides his snarky and rude attitude. It must have been a test to see how she would react. It was certain that she failed that test...or passed it.

 

"When we go to the meeting, I  want you to serve them the food we made. Then, I want you to come sit next to me. Remember what I said if they asked you any questions?"

 

 "Answer them if you give me permission...and if I don't want to answer you would answer for me."

 

"Correct. Now some of them speak English. So if they speak to you in our native tongue, I will translate for you."

 

Edith hadn't started her Japanese lessons. Perhaps Hanzo wanted Edith to figure out for herself, or he completely forgot she was supposed to be taught. Maybe he wanted her to teach herself. Thankfully Edith knew a few words, but she might mistake other words for another. Edith's worries were cut off as she felt the man's leather glove lifting her chin up to meet his gaze.

 

"I want you to behave for me. Alright?"

 

Feeling her cheeks burn up, she nodded her head in agreement. She wasn't sure why he told her that. It wasn't like she was going to be flirting with the men. Edith hated going to big dinners anyway, so there would be no point in her misbehaving. With that, the man let go of her chin. He began walking away from her. Before he could leave, he turned around and told her,

 

"Be there at 8:30 sharp. No later than that. Am I clear?"

 

"Y-yes."

 

Hanzo finally left the girl's sight. She looked at the bowls. Should she add some final touches on them? No, they looked fine. Edith checked the time and saw it was about 8:25. Five more minutes until the meeting?! The girl calmed herself down before she could end up panicking. She had enough time to get the food ready. Hanzo won't get mad at her. She'll be alright. Edith wasn't certain how she was going to get the food there. She then noticed that there was a metal cart that she could carry the plates on. Edith placed the first few on top, then the rest on the bottom. She began to stroll them down the hallways. Edith prayed she would make it on time. There was a possibility that the meeting might start early. Hanzo wouldn't be mad if she was a minute early or late. Surely he wouldn't. And besides, it wasn't like anything could go wrong during the meeting. As long as she didn't have high expectations and didn't make a scene, everything would be alright.


	4. Chapter 4

Edith stood outside the meeting room, waiting anxiously for her husband to announce her name. She couldn't hear much through the doors. The men’s voices were completely muffled. The girl pressed her ear against the door to try and hear a little better. She could only hear a little bit of the conversation, but it was still muffled. Edith pulled away from the door, scanning the hallways to check if there was anybody around. Not a single soul was in sight. As the clock ticked by, Edith continued standing outside the door. Did she already miss her cue? Was she too early, or too late? She was told to arrive by 8:30. Edith wasn't even sure what time it was. She didn’t bring a watch with her. Right as she was about to leave, she heard Hanzo blurt her name loud and clear through the door.

That was her cue.

Quickly, Edith opened the wooden doors. Before she could step into the room, she froze up. All of the men in the room turned to look at her. Their sharp glares made caused her heart to beat rapidly. All of them, including her fiance, waited for her to react. Edith felt too afraid to make one move, let alone breathe. No, she can’t mess up right now. She has to make a good first impression. The girl snapped out of her trance and entered the room. Edith served the men the food she and Hanzo had made together. Once she had finished giving them their food, she went to go sit down in the empty seat that was right next to Hanzo. Edith remained quiet through the entire meeting. She was slightly bothered by the cart still being in the room as it looked out of place. As much as she wanted to get up and move it out of the room, she couldn’t bring herself to. The girl feared what would happen if she tried to get up from her seat.

The meeting continued as none of the men paid any attention to her. Not even Hanzo acknowledged she was right next to him. If they weren’t even going to be talking to her, what was the point of her coming here? Edith listened to their conversation, however she wasn’t sure what they were talking about. The girl did catch a few words she did understand as they spoke to one another. Other than that, she didn't know what their conversation was about. As the meeting continued, Edith occupied herself by day dreaming. Edith didn't have a plate for herself, nor did she know what in the world these men were talking about, so she decided to just entertain herself by letting her thoughts run wild. Edith did try her best to keep her attention as the men spoke, making sure that she would respond to their questions if they decided to finally draw their attention to her So far, nobody had asked her a single thing, let alone acknowledge she was sitting right there in front of them. Perhaps they had spoken about her before she arrived. Or they were talking about her right now and she didn't even know it.

Edith grew more and more anxious. She did all she could to keep herself still. If only she had something to entertain herself, like her cellphone. What was even the point of being here if nobody was going to talk to her? Was it just for Hanzo to look good in front of these old men? Edith didn't like the idea of being seen as nothing more but a possession to this man and not a person. Was that what Hanzo saw of her? Nothing more than a prize to keep? A toy? Right as she was about to return back to her day dreaming, one of the men called her name. The girl flinched, trying to figure out which one of the men had called her name. She didn't dare to turn to Hanzo for his guidance, fearing he would give her that scary death glare of his. The man who spoke cleared his throat, asking her one simple question;

 

"Do you believe Hanzo is a worthy husband?"

 

Worthy husband? How was she supposed to answer that question? She barely knew the man! All that she knew was that he pretends to be nice to her and is a little too handsy with her. Edith wanted to know more about her future husband, but at the same time, she was too afraid to know more. All of the sudden, Edith felt a hand resting on her thigh. She realized that the hand was Hanzo's. She didn't like how close his hand was to her privates. Edith wanted to smack his hand off of her, but feared that the men would catch on what he was trying to do. Perhaps this was Hanzo's way of letting her know she can answer. The brunette brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, replying to the elder's question,

 

"I...I believe Hanzo will be a...worthy husband."

 

Hanzo's hand remained on her lap. Edith didn't understand why he had to this rather than give her a gentle nudge on the elbow or clear his throat. But nope, he thought it would be way better to just rest his hand right near her privates. If he tried to touch her there, she would slap his hand away and leave the meeting room. Hopefully that won't happen.

 

"Hanzo told us you had an elder sister who works for Overwatch. Is that correct?"

 

The girl's heart nearly dropped. He told them? Why would he tell them that!? Nobody was supposed to know that Rosa worked for Overwatch! Her big sister made sure that any ties with her family were kept secret! How did they figure all of that out? A sudden realization nearly caused the girl to vomit. It must have been the GraciaZ. They must have told the Shimada Clan about them. Edith felt furious not only at the GraciaZ, but at the Shimada Clan. Especially Hanzo. She wanted to yell at him for telling them that, however she couldn't bring herself to do that now. It would be pointless as she would end up making herself look like a complete fool in front of all of these strangers. Edith's thoughts were interrupted as Hanzo squeezed the girl's thigh.

 

"Y-yes...my sister works for Overwatch."

 

"Is Overwatch aware of your existence?"

 

"They...they should be...I mean Rosa did tell them to keep all data on her and her family private so nobody could try to locate us."

 

"Oh? Well, it's a good tactic to hide you and your family away from harm. However, it seemed like the GraciaZ knew how to get past those systems."

 

The girl lowered her head in defeat. Who knows how many more criminal groups know about her and her family. For all she knew, almost every criminal group in the entire world could know she was the little sister of Rosa. The elderly man then asked Edith one final question before letting her off the hook,

 

"Now, if the time came when Overwatch arrives in Hanamura to take down the Shimada Clan, would you be able to fight your own sister?"

 

Silence filled the room. Edith wasn't sure how to answer. Should she lie? No, but she didn't want to tell the truth either. An "I don't know" won't work. What is she supposed to say? Edith felt a painfully tight grip on her thigh. She nearly let out a painful cry, but forced herself to bite back the pain. Edith didn't dare to look at her fiance. The girl wasn't sure if Hanzo wanted her to respond or remain silent. When she lifted her head to look at Hanzo, she noticed that he was not looking at her, but the old man who asked her the question. There was a small hint of anger in his eyes. Edith looked back at the old man, letting out a hesitant answer,

 

"Yes...I would."

 

Finally, Hanzo let go of the girl's thigh. Edith looked down to see if she could catch any bruises. She was unable to tell as her pantyhose were too dark. Did Hanzo want her to answer that question? If not, why didn't he let her know? Did he expect her to catch on to any of his subtle cues? For the rest of the meeting, Edith remained silent once more. She felt completely awful. She must have answered the question wrong as Hanzo had remained quiet for the rest of the meeting, other than giving small and short answers. Guilt was all the girl could feel. If only she didn't answer that stupid question. She should've lied and said "no." But that would be an even worse answer. There was no winning situation for her.

The meeting had come to an end and all of the men had left. Edith didn't realize they were gone as she was still consumed in her guilt. She snapped back to reality when Hanzo got up from his seat. The girl lifted her head up and saw he stood near the doorway, his back facing her. Edith couldn’t see it, but she could feel the anger emitting from him. She waited for him to speak. No words came from him. The entire room was silent, excluding her breathing. Edith then got up from her seat, getting ready to put the plates back onto the cart to clean them. As she picked up the first plate, the silence was finally broken.

 

"I never knew you would be so willing to fight your own sister."

 

The girl almost dropped the plate when he spoke. She didn’t expect him to break the silence so suddenly. She lifted her head up to the man, his back still facing her.

 

"Well…" Edith began, "If the time does come and I end up...actually liking you, I might have to fight her to protect you."

 

"Would you be willing to kill her?"

 

Her heart completely froze. The way he said "kill" gave her goosebumps. It was like he wanted her to commit a crime. Would that be a part of his "test?" Edith realized she was actually taking the time to think of the events that could transpire. If she ended up falling in love with Hanzo and Rosa came to arrest him, would she actually have to kill her to protect her future husband? The thought of losing her sister brought the girl to tears. If she were to kill Rosa, her parents would never forgive her. She would never be able to return home if she ever did that.

 

"Well?"

 

Edith flinched again from the sound of his voice.

 

"I...I wouldn’t be able to do it now but-"

 

"Of course you wouldn’t." The man blurted. "You couldn’t hurt a fly, even if you wanted to. You’re only pretending that you’re strong, when in reality; you’re weak."

 

"W-weak…?" The plate Edith held fell onto the ground, shattering into pieces. "So that’s what you really think of me…? I’m weak…?"

 

"Yes. You’re weak. You rely on your emotions too much. You rely on others for help or permission."

 

"You told me yourself that when you wanted me to answer their questions, you would let me know! You didn't tell me which ones not to answer! Or did you expect me to read your mind?!

 

"I thought it would be obvious to know which ones not to answer."

 

Was he serious? Did he really expect her to pick that up? She wasn't some magical being that could read his thoughts! She couldn't even tell what somebody was feeling from the look on their faces! Edith never felt so angry and frustrated in her entire life.

 

"Well I wish you told me not to answer the questions, that way I would know." Edith told the man. "I have a difficult time telling what people are thinking."

 

The room was silent again. Edith was about to pick up the shattered pieces of the plate, only to be interrupted once more by Hanzo.

 

"You need to stop relying on others, Edith. I know you wanted me to help you during that, but I wanted you to learn how to do things on your own. Your family won't always be there for you. And when the time does come your sister comes here, she'll end up abandoning you after she learns that the two of us are married. Your parents will also end up abandoning you."

 

"That's not true!" The girl yelled, nearly on the verge of tears. Her pent up sorrow was about to explode into a burning rage. "You may think you know me, but you don’t know a single thing about me! Nothing! I don’t know anything about you! As a matter of fact; I don’t want to know you! I don’t want to know you! I don’t even want to marry you!"

 

"Then why did you allow yourself to come here and become my wife?"

 

"To protect my family!"

 

The man gave her a scoff. "Pathetic. You may think that was brave of you, but all you did was lift your parents’ burden."

 

"Shut up! Nothing you say is true! You don’t know my family! You don’t know them like I do! I bet you hated your family because they never loved you! That’s why you hate them so much! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you actually killed somebody from your own family!"

 

Edith realized she made a terrible mistake when she saw the man turn his head to face her. He gave her that same glare from before, but it was full of malice. All of the anger she felt faded away into fear. The man’s body tensed up, his fists clenched tightly as if he was going to punch her. Edith almost thought he was going to march at her and grab her by the throat. She wouldn't be surprised if he did. Instead, Hanzo remained right where he was. After staring at him for a few seconds, he calmed himself down.

Not wanting to waste another second in there, Edith rushed out of the room. She didn’t care if Hanzo would end up chasing her. She didn’t care if he ended up catching her. She didn’t care if he ended up punishing her for her behavior. All she wanted to do was to get out of that room! Edith sprinted down the halls, not paying any attention to the other men that were lingering outside. They didn’t even bother to chase her or question her. Edith arrived safely in her room, slamming the door tightly. She collapsed onto her bed, holding the bed sheets tightly as she burst into tears.

 

"I can’t do this anymore!" She sobbed. "I want to go home! I want to go home! I want to see my mom and dad again! I want to see Rosa! I-I want...I want…"

 

The girl couldn’t even form sentences. All she could do was cry uncontrollably. She couldn’t hold her pent up emotions anymore. She couldn’t hide her pain any longer. Crying wouldn’t solve anything, though. Edith knew that, but it was the only thing she could do right now. She didn’t care anymore. She was going to leave this place and go home. There is no way she was going to become the wife of a cruel and heartless man! Nothing he would say would make her change her mind. Nothing.

 

 

Her eyes stung as she attempted to open them. Edith found herself still lying in bed, curled up with tear stained sheets. How long had she been asleep? Edith couldn’t remember falling asleep. Perhaps the stress took over her and she fell asleep. Edith crawled out of bed, stretching her arms and her back. Was it morning? Was it still night? It didn’t matter. All she knew was that she was going to leave this awful place, away from these awful people. She was going to go home and be with her family again. She had been trapped here for too long. Edith didn't know how long she had been here exactly. It felt like a long time, though. That doesn't matter now. All that matters was getting out of here. There was no way she was going to marry that cruel, awful man. If he wanted to be her husband, he wouldn’t be so mean. He wouldn't have gotten mad at her for not giving those men the wrong answer. He wouldn't have said those terrible things to her! He would also ask her how her day was, check on her, say how much he loved her and comfort her. He would be nice to her and tell her how happy he was to have her as his beloved wife.

But that was nothing but a fantasy. It was only in fairy tales and books that a man would actually end up loving his wife so dearly and caring for her. This is reality. Nobody would want to fall in love with a girl like her. Maybe Hanzo felt like it was a burden to marry her. The clan could have pressured him into marrying her since Rosa was already with Overwatch. Was Edith really trying to justify that man's rude behavior? Well, what else could she do? As much as she hated him, she also felt some pity for him. She didn't know anything about him, yet it felt like he had been through so much. No, for all she knew, he was a spoiled brat and he continued being spoiled as he grew older. Edith had been told not to judge others by her parents. It felt wrong judging the man, however it didn't excuse him from being so mean to her.

Edith had reached the open area of the palace. She was so close to freedom. There were no guards to stop her. There was no door to stop her. Nothing would be able to now. As Edith took a few steps forward, she heard a familiar voice blurt out,

 

"Where do you think you’re going?"

 

Edith didn’t dare to turn around. She wasn’t going to give him the attention that he wanted. Edith responded to the man’s question, her back still facing him.

 

"I’m going home."

 

"Do you honestly think you can waltz out of here and find a way back to your home?"

 

"Yeah. I do."

 

"That’s not a well thought out plan."

 

"I don’t care. It’s going to work either way."

 

She continued walking, only to hear the man’s footsteps behind her. The girl hadn't noticed until she reached outside of the palace. He was trying to synchronize his footsteps with hers. He must be trying to sneak up on her before she could make a complete escape. She kept listening closely to his footsteps, realizing that he was indeed trying to synchronize with her. When she stopped, he stopped. When she walked, he mimicked the amount of steps she made. Edith wasn’t sure why he was still following her. It was starting to not only bother her, but creep her out. When she was nearly close to the gates, she spun around and yelled at the man,

 

"Stop following me!"

 

Hanzo was slightly surprised by the girl's outburst. However he should've known she would react like that. He took a few steps away, clearing his throat as he nervously fixed his tie.

 

"Edith I...I wanted to apologize about earlier."

 

"Oh, so now you decide to apologize?"

 

"Woman, I gave you your space! I let you calm down and the moment I was going to actually apologize, you were asleep!"

 

"Well you give me too much space. The first few days here, you rarely spoke to me. I gave you breakfast, lunch, dinner, and you never talk to me then! You never even say thank you for anything I do! If you wanted to be my husband, you wouldn't be avoiding me, ignoring me, or saying hurtful things to me! A real husband would love his wife dearly and not treat her like she's nothing more than just some possession! That was back in the middle ages, and we don't live in that era anymore! Unless that's what you and your family believe, that's not how the real world works!"

 

The dark haired man stared at her in shock. Even Edith was amazed by her own words. She felt like somebody else had possessed her body and spoke words that didn't belong to her. Edith was about to apologize for her outburst, only for Hanzo to speak instead.

 

"You're right...a real husband wouldn't dare bring any harm to his beloved wife...I apologize again for my behavior. I...It's hard to explain."

 

"Then explain it to me so I can understand." The girl offered. "Please, Hanzo. If you want this to work out, then please stop ignoring me and let me in."

 

Edith couldn't believe she was saying such things. The man looked at the girl, staring at her innocent face. He couldn't keep hiding his feelings forever. Sooner or later, this facade of his will break and he will admit the truth to her. This was his only chance to change. Perhaps his only chance to change his destiny. Hanzo took the girl's hands and told her,

 

"I'll tell you everything tomorrow. Meet me in the gardens by noon."

 

"You can't tell me now?"

 

"Edith, I swear on my life I will tell you tomorrow. I need some rest for now."

 

She hadn't noticed, but Hanzo did look a little tired. Edith nodded her head in agreement. She would also have to play her part in being a good wife, so letting him rest would be a start.

 

"Okay. I'll try to be up by noon."

 

"Very well."

 

"Get some rest, then."

 

Edith suddenly noticed a soft smile form on the man's face as he murmured, "I will." With that, he made his way back into the palace. Edith waited until he had completely left. Once he was no longer in sight, Edith decided to head back into the palace. She probably needed some rest too, even though she nearly spent the entire day sleeping after throwing all of those dresses out of her room. Edith's parents got mad at her for always sleeping a lot, especially during the summer. She hoped that she would keep her promise and wake up in time.

And hopefully Hanzo kept his promise as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, sorry for not posting in a while. I had been focusing on school work and graduation. I hadn't felt any motivation to write either, but since it's summer time I can finally continue writing this garbage.


	5. Chapter 5

Edith had awoken from her sleep, she attempted to get out of bed, but wanted to continue sleeping. Then she suddenly remembered the promise Hanzo made to her the other night. Quickly, Edith got out of bed and began changing into the same dress she had been wearing for the past few months. She didn't even bother to check if she looked alright or get breakfast. She didn't want to be late meeting with him. Edith kept telling herself she should check the time just in case, but that would also take too long. The girl rushed down the hallways, noticing that they were all empty. Perhaps all of the guards were at the other side of the palace, or they were just sleeping in.

Edith arrived outside, the sunlight burning her eyes. Edith used her hand as a shield, shading her eyes from the sun. She scanned the area to see if Hanzo was anywhere in sight. He was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she woke up a little early. Edith knew she should have checked the time, but what if she ended up waking up too late? No, it didn't seem like it was already the afternoon. It might still be morning. Edith wanted to go back inside and check, but feared that if she left, Hanzo might end up arriving and waiting for her to come back. If only she didn't rush when she woke up. She needs to stop rushing with everything and take her time. That's what both her parents told her, and yet they always rushed her to get ready for school or events.

Even if she was a little early, it wouldn't hurt to get a little sunlight. The girl strolled around the area, looking at the small garden that she had been tending. Edith knelt down onto her knees, staring intensely at the beautifully vivid flowers. Memories of her mother's garden flooded her mind. They were as beautiful as the one out here in the palace. Edith remembered the many times she used to watch her mother plant flowers in their front yard. She enjoyed picking the flowers, especially the petals. Her mother would end up getting upset with her for destroying the flowers. She felt terrible after that, so Edith decided to just stare at them, admiring their beauty. She wasn't sure what her favorite flower was.

She liked carnations. She also liked gardenias as well. Lilies were also pretty. So were daisies, and roses, and tulips...It was so hard to choose! If she really had to choose, it would be the gardenias. Mainly because what they symbolized; purity and love. That stuck with Edith as a little girl. It sounded romantic at the time. Maybe for their wedding day, Edith can ask Hanzo to plant a bunch of gardenias and they can have a bouquet of them.

The girl was interrupted from her thoughts when she noticed a white butterfly land on the flowers. Edith remained completely frozen, studying the insect as it softly flapped its wings. She didn't want to scare the little creature away. If it was a bumblebee though, Edith would back away from the flowers. Even as a little girl, bumblebees still scared her. She knew they were important to the environment, but she was terrified of getting stung by a bee. Wasps were worse, but bumblebees still scared her. As a matter of fact, nearly all insects scared her. All except for butterflies and ladybugs. There was something about them that made her not as afraid of them as the others. When the butterflies were caterpillars, they grossed Edith out a little, but they would end up becoming the beautiful flying insects after being in their cocoon.

 

"You're here early."

 

Edith jumped, turning around to find Hanzo standing right behind her. How long had he been standing there? Was he there the entire time? He probably was. After all, he was able to mimic her footsteps the other day. He must be a master of stealth. Hanzo let out a frustrated sigh,

 

"Why do you always look at me like I just committed a murder?"

 

"O-oh! I'm sorry."

 

Edith wasn't sure what expression she gave him. From what he told her, she must have looked terrified. Well he did startle her. Hanzo then sat next to the girl as she continued staring at the flowers. She noticed the butterfly had flown away, much to her dismay. The two of them remained silent, uncertain who was going to speak. The only thing that didn't make it completely awkward was the sound of the birds chirping and cicadas screeching. Hanzo looked at the girl, noticing how fascinated she was with the flowers. He had never known a girl so deeply fascinated by something so simple.

It was rather adorable.

Hanzo didn't want to admit that out loud. He had to maintain his image of being a cold, distant, and stoic man. It would only be a matter of time before the girl figured that out and found ways to crack that facade. He wanted to open up a little more to her, but feared that the elders would end up breaking their marriage off. No, that was not going to happen. Hanzo also promised her that he would tell her everything. Maybe not everything, but he would open up to her more.

A few more minutes of silence had passed. Edith turned and saw the sad look in the man's eyes. He must still be feeling bad about the other day.

 

"Hanzo...?"

 

He lifted his head up, raising one eyebrow up in curiosity.

 

"Are you okay? You look sad."

 

"I do?" A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "Usually I'm told I look angry."

 

"Well that's true, but right now you look sad."

 

"I thought you said it was difficult to tell what people were thinking."

 

"That's true..." Edith admitted. "It's really hard to explain without sounding stupid."

 

"No, please. I promised you I would explain everything to you today, so you go first."

 

Edith hesitated for a moment. It hadn't even been a year since they met. Should she really tell him everything? No, not everything. Just small things, then when they get a little closer to each other, she can tell him everything. Then again, Hanzo could just be pretending. He could be acting like he wants to get to know her so he can manipulate her in the future and use her weaknesses against her in the future. No! She needs to stop doubting him. Right now it's time to be open. Not too open, but just a little bit. Edith let out a sigh as she explained to her fiance,

 

"Ever since I was a little girl, I've always had difficulty understanding others. I always felt like nobody understood me and that I was just...a freak."

 

"Why did you think that?" The man inquired.

 

"I...I just thought differently than others. To everyone else, things are simple and easy to understand, but not for me. I had a difficult time learning in school. I took way longer to figure out simple things like math. It got worse in middle school, but thankfully I got the help I needed. Sadly I still suck at math."

 

The man chuckled again. Edith looked at him, feeling offended. Was he making fun of her? He had to be. When Hanzo noticed the girl's expression, he assured her,

 

"I'm not laughing at you, dear. I'm sorry you had a difficult time with math. I too did not do so well with math at first, but I got better at it. Though I don't want to brag, I excelled in geometry."

 

"Oh, you're definitely bragging." Edith teased. "But what about algebra? Did you do good with that?"

 

"I did fine with algebra, even though I had to spend my days figuring out why I had to find X all the time."

 

"You also had to find Y, Z, and a few others. But sometimes you just gotta get over your X."

 

To the girl's shock, a laugh emitted from the man. She stared with wide eyes as laughed like a madman. It was just a small joke everyone at school said. Hanzo was laughing so much it scared Edith. It was as if it was the best joke he'd ever heard. Surely somebody had told him that joke once. Either that, or he was trying to make her feel better. Once Hanzo calmed down, he grabbed at his chest and wiped the tears from his eyes.

 

"Forgive me...but I-I never...nobody had ever said that joke to me ever."

 

"No way! Surely somebody had said that once to you."

 

"Nope. I was always with the more wealthy kids at school. The academy I went to was full of spoiled rich kids and I was one of them." The man's smile faded. "My parents, well mainly my father, forced me to take the most difficult classes to get a good grade and to show off his eldest son being the most successful heir to the Shimada Clan. Of course there was my little brother, who got to do whatever the hell he wanted without getting into any kind of trouble."

 

"Hanzo, I didn't know you had a little brother."

 

His expression immediately changed. Edith realized her mistake and quickly blurted,

 

"Oh, Hanzo I'm so sorry! I-I didn't-"

 

"It's okay. You didn't know..." Hanzo turned away from the girl, staring sadly at the flowers. "I never really liked talking about him...even when he was still around. I had always been jealous of him. He got all of the attention. It was obvious that he was my father's favorite. My mother loved the two of us, but that love from her didn't last long when she died. He was really young when she passed away. From that day forward, my father favored my little brother more as I was meant to be the next heir. I was nothing more to him than a tool."

 

"So...he got to do more and you didn't?"

 

"That's what it was like, but the clan elders did not approve his behavior. Whenever he got into trouble it was either I or my father that had to bail him out. It was so frustrating because no matter what, my father always took my brother's blame, but never mine."

 

Was that how Rosa felt when had to take care of her? Did she feel constantly jealous of her whenever Edith got way more attention than her? Did Rosa feel like she always had to take the blame for her, too? Was she her sister's burden? No wonder she hadn't come rescued her. She must have felt jealous about her getting all of the attention. Rosa had to go out of her way not only to sacrifice her personal time to spend it with her, but to also prevent others from locating her and her parents. Now that she had been taken by the Shimada clan, Rosa didn't have to worry about saving her.

She must have been so relieved when the Shimada clan took her away. She wouldn't blame her. After all, Edith had always been a bother to not only her, but to both her parents. Edith was the baby of the family, and continued being the baby as she grew older. She always had to be watched, always had to be taken care of and entertained. As a little girl, Edith was whiny and complained all the time. Little children were like that, but Edith had it bad. Edith never realized how much of a burden she was. But unlike Hanzo's brother, she never got to do everything she wanted. Edith didn't get to go out much because of her parents fear of being taken away by the GraciaZ. She only went out unless she was with her friends. Edith spent most of her time inside, and that was basically all she did. Her parents did try to get her to go out more to be with friends, but Edith always insisted staying inside, away from socializing.

Her parents were always frustrated whenever Edith got angry and threw fits. Even in middle school, her parents and her constantly argued. Edith must have been nothing but a brat. Had she been born like everybody else, then she wouldn't have been such a spoiled brat and so irritating to her parents. She wouldn't have to drain her parents energy or her sister's. She would've just been a regular girl who didn't struggle with everything. She wouldn't constantly be difficult or avoiding everyone. She would have made everyone happy had she been normal.

 

"You never told me much about your older sister. Tell me; what is she like?"

 

"My sister?" Edith wasn't sure what to start with. There was so much she wanted to tell him about her sister. "My sister Rosa is a very nice person. She's also the complete opposite of me."

 

"How so?"

 

"Well; she's way more positive and energetic. She never lets anything get her down. She goes out of her way just to take care of me. She wanted to make the world a better place, so she joined Overwatch. When I was younger, she was always watching me whenever our parents went out. She was...she was my only friend."

 

Edith knew that Cara was her other friend, but Rosa was her only true friend. She was her sister.

 

"You must have a good relationship with your sister." Hanzo commented. "I'm jealous."

 

"Don't be. I'm pretty sure I was nothing but an annoyance to her. She never got to do what she wanted and she always had to babysit me. She and I were close, but sometimes I felt like I was the reason why she never got much freedom."

 

"Didn't you say your sister went out of her way to help others?"

 

"Yeah, but it's different when she's helping out friends or strangers. When it came to me, she basically had to constantly watch over me and entertain me. It was difficult because we were being hunted down and she had to make sure we didn't get noticed. She acted different around others too. I told you that I struggled with math, but I also struggled with everything else in life. I was the outcast, the weirdo, that one kid you felt bad but didn't want to ruin your reputation if you hung out with them. I was the freak..."

 

How could such an adorable girl like her be an outcast at her school? There was no way that was true. If Edith were at his school, nearly all of the boys would fall for her and try to ask her out. Many would do anything to get a girl like her. Edith may think she's an outcast, but in reality she wasn't. She was anything but that. Then again, what did he know? Edith didn't tell him much, however she didn't have to do that now. Not until she felt comfortable around him.

 

"I was always the shy kid. I broke down into tears when I had to present in front of the class. I felt like everyone was judging my entire existence when I went up and had to give a speech. And when it came to talking to other kids, I always made a fool of myself by saying the stupidest things. I didn't have many friends, and the ones I did have ended up moving away or hurting me...but I too also hurt some of my friends..."

 

"You're not the only one who has hurt their friends..." Hanzo assured her. "Friendship is a complicated thing, and so is love. Now, don't get me started on that topic. Besides, unlike you, I was a spoiled brat and hurt everyone's feelings. I felt bad, however I had to maintain my image of being a heartless and distant man."

 

"How old were you when you hurt your friends...?"

 

"The youngest I was 10. I never harmed anyone physically though..."

 

Edith noticed the tone of his voice changed when he said the word "physically".

 

"Well I was like 3 or 4 when I hurt my friends. I told them I didn't want to be friends anymore and I got mad at them when they lied to me...now I know you're going to say we were children and that stuff happens, but...I shouldn't have said those things."

 

"You've matured though, haven't you?"

 

"Yeah, and after moving around so much, I didn't even bother trying to make friends as I would end up moving away. I was always the new girl at school. I used to want so much attention from others, and let me tell you; it's not fun at all."

 

Hanzo scoffed. "Tell me about it. Both my brother and I were popular in our schools."

 

"Unlike you, I was only popular for a month in middle school. But when it came to high school, you're only popular for a week. But I guess that depends on the location of the schools and if they're big or not."

 

Edith then noticed a bumblebee suddenly fly by. She quickly scooted away from the flowers, much to Hanzo's confusion. When he heard the buzzing, he put the pieces together. He glanced at the flowers, then turned to the girl and asked,

 

"You don't like bees?"

 

"N-no. I...I just don't wanna get stung by one."

 

"If you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone." He assured her, motioning for the girl to return back to his side.

 

Edith didn't move where she was. She stood up to her feet, wanting to get away from the bee.

 

"Edith, the bees aren't going to harm you."

 

"I...I don't wanna make it angry."

 

It didn't seem like Edith was going to come back and sit down. Hanzo got up to his feet, saying to her, "Let's go somewhere else then."

 

Hanzo lead the girl to the other side of the bridge where the practice range was. Edith turned her attention back to the city that was far off the distance. She completely forgot how large it was. As Edith had her attention on the city, Hanzo looked at the targets littered with arrows.

 

"This is where I used to practice with my brother."

 

Edith turned her attention back to Hanzo, watching as he approached them.

 

"I was far better at archery than he ever was. I always hit my mark and not only did I satisfy the clan elders, but my father. When I was about 13, I was gifted with my own bow. I still have it to this day."

 

"I've never seen your bow, but I've seen that sword that's in the main area. Did that belong to your father?"

 

He didn't respond. A few seconds of silence passed by, making Edith feel awkward. Maybe the sword belonged to his brother. Edith then tried to change the subject,

 

"Were you good at any other sports?"

 

"I used to run track for fun. I also did swimming, but I stopped after a bunch of people gawked at my body."

 

The girl let out a giggle. "You're lucky that people like your body."

 

"Well I prefer if they liked me more than just for my body."

 

Edith let out another giggle. Hanzo couldn't help but smile at her. For the first time, she actually looked happy. It must have been the first time she's ever smiled in a while. Hanz then lead Edith up the wooden bridge to another part of the palace. Edith never spent most of her time there. She stared at the fish statue that was right in front of the bench. How did she not notice it before? She must have and completely forgot about it. The couple sat down on the bench together. Edith kept her distance, scooting a few inches away from Hanzo. She was still cautious and uncertain of him. She wasn't sure if the man was trying to manipulate her by pretending to be nice, or if he was genuinely being nice. The man was completely aware that she still had her doubts of him. Her body language gave it away. She had her shoulders tensed up, holding herself tightly. Her head was turned away from him, afraid of giving him eye contact. The couple sat there awkwardly, unsure who was going to say what. After a few moments of pondering, Hanzo finally asked,

 

"What's your favorite animal?"

 

Edith looked at the man in confusion. It was a sudden and random question, but thankfully it ended the awkward silence. "Um...well, I like most animals...but I guess my favorite is a cat...no, maybe owls...or..."

 

"Which one is truly your favorite?" The man inquired.

 

"I dunno. I can't decide." Edith then asked the man the same question he asked her, "What's your favorite animal?"

 

"I think that one is obvious."

 

"Really?" Was it actually that obvious? Edith wondered for a moment. The only animals that had been around the palace were dragons. Then it hit her.

 

"Your favorite animal is a dragon!"

 

"Correct."

 

"I thought you were more of a dog type of person."

 

The man's lips curled, forming a grin. "Well I do like dogs. I used to have a pet dog named Shiro. Sadly he passed away."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"It's alright. I've moved on from that. My brother was really young when Shiro died, so he didn't get many memories of him."

 

Edith felt a little jealous. She's never had a pet before. Her parents told her they couldn't get one because they wouldn't be able to afford for it. Clearly they told her that because they would have to get rid of their pet if they kept on moving away. Maybe that was why she never got any pets of her own. Edith wished that she got to have her own pet. She might get one after their wedding.

 

"Edith?"

 

The girl turned her head to face the man. She must have dozed off again.

 

"Are you alright?"

 

Edith tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Yeah...?"

 

"You look glum."

 

"Oh...well, that's my resting face I guess...like your grumpy face is your resting face."

 

Edith giggled when the man gave her an annoyed frown. He didn't want to admit it, but she did have a point. Even he knew he looked terrifying to others. Hanzo wasn't sure how he was going to make it look like he wasn't pissed off all the time. It would take a long time trying to make himself appear more like a citizen and not a criminal. Even without this current outfit, he would still look threatening.

 

"I know I always look sad sometimes, but I'm usually not." Edith stated.

 

"Usually?"

 

"I...I always feel sad all the time. I don't know why I, I just do. I guess it's because the lack of interaction with anyone else besides my family. And I guess it's also because I just...I have a difficult time trying to make new friends. I'm scared to try to talk to someone new because I'm afraid that they'll judge me, even if they don't know me. I don't want to be scared or sad, but I just can't help it..."

 

"You don't have any other friends besides your sister?"

 

"I have these group of friends...Only one of them shows concern for me and actually cares about me, the others don't. They just force me out of my comfort zone and make me go to these stupid parties with loud noises, bright lights, and a bunch of strangers. I don't know why I hang out with them. I think it's because I'm afraid of being seen as lame in front of them.

 

"Is Cara this friend who cares about you?"

 

"I tell myself that."

 

Hanzo studied the girl's expression. She looked troubled telling him about these "friends" of hers. Did they do something terrible to her? Did they hurt her? He wouldn't be surprised, though he would be furious. No one should ever take advantage of someone so sweet and kind like her.

 

"Do you see these girls as your friends?" He inquired.

 

"I...I dunno. Sometimes I tell myself we are, but there are days where I tell myself they aren't. I just...I don't know! They're so confusing! Sometimes they act like they care about me and then the next moment they don't! They say they're always there for me but the moment I need to talk to them, they tell me they can't talk or they tell me my problems will fade away or they say that I'm just looking for pity. When I tell them I don't want to go to their parties, they guilt trip me and make me go! Then by the time I get to the party, I lose track of them and they just abandon me to go be with some random people they just met!" The girl let out a frustrated growl. "Why do I even bother hanging out with them!?"

 

"It sounds like they aren't your friends at all, rather they are just using you."

 

"No...they're just-"

 

"Don't excuse their behavior!" The man snapped, making Edith flinch from the tone of his voice. When he saw her facial expression, the man quickly apologized. "Forgive me. I just...I can't believe they would force you to do things against your will. Why do you hang out with them, anyway?"

 

"Because they're Cara's friends...and I don't want to make Cara upset if I don't wanna hangout with them."

 

"So you want to be seen as one of them?"

 

Edith shrugged. "I dunno what I want them to see me as..."

 

For so long, Edith had dealt with her friends trouble since she had moved to her recent home. She wanted to leave the group, but she couldn't bring herself to. She didn't want to hurt Cara's feelings. Cara was the one who befriended her the first day of school, then she introduced her to her friend group. Edith thought they were cool, but the moment they started talking about sex, drugs, going out and partying, Edith felt uncomfortable being around them. She didn't want to be seen as lame, nor did she want to make Cara upset, so Edith had to force herself out of her comfort zone to go to their parties. Everytime she went, she felt her anxiety build up more and more.

She feared the possibility of one of the guys they go out with trying to take advantage of her. She was worried somebody at the parties might drug her, or kidnap her, or she would end up drunk and the next day she would find out she was filmed doing something terrible, or something worse. Edith didn't even want to think about the possibilities. She wished back then she had the guts to tell them she didn't feel comfortable being around them. She wished she told Cara she didn't like being around them. She told Cara about her troubles with understanding certain things and how she got anxious easily.

But did she really care? If she did, she would have told her friends to stop pressuring Edith to go to their parties. Then again, they wouldn't understand. They would call her lame and make fun of her. They were out of high school, and yet Edith still felt that fear of them spreading rumors about her. Who knows what they're telling everybody back at home? Edith was dragged back into reality when she felt a hand wrapped around hers. She looked and saw Hanzo gloved hand resting on top of hers. When she turned to look at him, she saw that he no longer had that angry look on his face.

He stared at her with a warm gaze, one that felt assuring and comforting.

 

"Edith..." He murmured. "You don't need their permission to be accepted in society. You don't need anybody's permission to be whoever you want to be."

 

"But it always feel like I need somebody to tell me who I have to be. I want to be my own person, but at the same time I feel like I can't because I...I think differently from others."

 

"So what? We all think differently. That's what makes all of us unique."

 

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean yeah, that's true. But I didn't mean it like that."

 

"Then what did you mean?"

 

The girl turned away in shame. "You wouldn't understand..."

 

Hanzo tilted the girl's head to face him, brushing a lock of her brunette hair out of her face.

 

"As you told me the other day; help me understand."

 

"You'll...you'll judge me."

 

"No I will not."

 

"You won't believe me."

 

"No, I will believe you."

 

"Okay...but promise me you won't make fun of me or judge me."

 

The man nodded his head. "I promise."

 

"You swear it?"

 

"Edith, stop stalling. Just tell me, my dear. Please."

 

A few moments passed by. Edith let out a sigh, pulling her hands out of Hanzo's grasp. She placed them back on her lap as she explained,

 

"The reason why I...I say I think differently I mean that...I know it sounds stupid and cliche, but I don't think like other people. I find it difficult to socialize with others. It's really difficult for me to try and talk to somebody new and make friends. It's even harder when you have to constantly move around to prevent your family from being abducted." Edith let out a sigh, trying to compose herself. "Most of the time I prefer being alone, but I do get lonely. I want to have friends and be like other kids, but I'm so scared of being judged. Because when I try to talk to others, I'm afraid they'll think I'm a weirdo, or a freak, or some stupid girl who looks desperate to have friends."

 

Hanzo continued listening to the girl. Not once did he say anything or interrupt her. He was invested in her.

 

"When Cara became my friend, I felt so happy. At the same time, I felt terrible for all of those other kids I hurt. I know that had moved on and that we were just children, but I...I wish I wasn't like that. I wish I wasn't...so jealous, so negative and so...I wish I was born like everyone else! I wish I didn't constantly have to hate myself everyday! I wish I didn't have to hurt myself or hate how I look! I wish I had the body of a mature woman instead the body of a child!"

 

The girl attempted to bite back her tears, but sadly they came pouring down like rain. She couldn't hold her pent up sorrow much longer.

 

"I hate being like this! Everyday I feel like this! I feel like I'm a waste of space, a complete failure! I'm certain that I am a failure of a daughter to both my parents! I was their burden and my sister's! They had to constantly take me to see what was wrong with me. They found out I was on the spectrum and that made things even more difficult for them. They not only had to deal with a daughter who left to join a police force, but another daughter who needed constant medication and needed to go see doctors to make her feel better! A daughter who was a burden to them!"

 

The man realized what she had meant by "the spectrum." He wasn't sure what she was diagnosed with, however he wouldn't force her to elaborate unless she felt comfortable. Instead, he continued listening to the girl's rants.

 

"My mom took me to therapists and special groups to try and get me to socialize more and to stop being so negative all the time. They wanted me to be like everybody else. They were so ashamed that they had to have me as their daughter, so they tried to make me into something I could never be. No matter what they did, they couldn't change me. I was their mistake...and yet they still acted like they loved and cared for me."

 

'Because they did love you.' Hanzo nearly said that out loud. He kept himself quiet, not trying to blurt that sentence out. He feared that he might make the girl even more upset than she already was. Hanzo did have his suspicions that Edith had self esteem issues, but he never knew she felt all of this pent up anger and frustration. It wasn't healthy for her, especially at her age.

 

"I felt more and more angry with them as I got older, but soon I directed that anger at myself. I couldn't bring myself to hate them. Over time, I realized how much they really did care about me, even if it felt like they didn't. Yet I still hated myself! I-I felt angry at myself! I couldn't bring myself to learn how to love myself! I felt nothing but hatred at who I was. The only thing that made me happy were the things I enjoyed, like playing games, or drawing, or watching stupid videos that don't make sense but they're still hilarious. Those things are what kept me from ending it all. And the fear of what's on the other side also prevented that too..."

 

The girl continued crying, holding herself tightly. Once she had calmed herself down, she turned and completely forgot that Hanzo had been sitting next to her the entire time. She felt completely embarrassed knowing that he had been sitting there, watching her cry like a toddler.

 

"I know you're probably thinking I want your pity. I used to want pity from others, but now I don't care. I just...I want someone to listen to me and understand me. I want somebody to love me for who I am and not judge me for...what I am..."

 

She felt a hand rest on her shoulders, causing her to flinch. When she looked, she saw that it was Hanzo's. He had been listening to her rants this whole time. He could have just walked off or completely ignored her, but instead he remained where he was. He wiped away her tears while speaking in a gentle voice,

 

"There is nothing wrong with you, Edith. I don't care if you aren't like everyone else. I don't care if you have small breasts or have a petite body in general. I don't care. I liked you when I first laid my eyes upon you, but that wasn't the only thing I liked about you."

 

Hanzo cupped the girl's cheeks, nearly pulling her in for a kiss.

 

"I liked you because I knew there was something different about you. I just couldn't think what it was, but now I know."

 

"Wh-what is it then...?"

 

"Unlike so many I have been with, you're honest. You are kind and gentle. You are actually genuine in your words."

 

Edith couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was so happy to finally hear somebody say such kind words, and yet it felt so sudden for them to be so close and friendly with one another. Then again, Hanzo could be saying such words to gain her trust. It just didn't feel right...It was like she was in some romantic story and everything was already going well. It would only be a matter of time befroe everything went down into flames.

 

"My dear, I promise you I will love you and cherish you for the rest of my days." To the girl's shock, he pressed a kiss on the girl's forehead. It completely felt strange all of the sudden. Edith felt incredibly conflicted. A part of her wanted to believe Hanzo's word, but the other half couldn't. Almost on cue, the man said, "I know you don't believe me, nor do you trust me. I understand. Oh, before I forget."

 

The man pulled out a familiar device from his pocket. It was her phone. Edith happily took it, overjoyed to finally see it again. She was certain he threw it out or even destroyed it.

 

"I didn't do anything to it, if you were wondering." He assured her.

 

"Thank you so much, Hanzo."

 

Edith turned the phone on and saw she had a bunch of missed calls and text messages. All were from her friends. Edith's smile faded as she read them, most of them demanding where she was or why she hadn't called. They even said mean things to her. Edith wasn't surprised, but it still hurt as she read them. Cara was the only one sending nice messages. She didn't even bother to listen to the voicemails. She knew exactly what they were going to say. Edith had hoped that her parents had sent her some kind of text messages, but none of them sent anything. Not even Rosa.

She deeply wanted to send them messages to let them know she was fine, however she didn't want to be rude and let Hanzo just sit there as she was on her phone. Edith looked at the list of her "friends" and with a heavy heart, she decided to remove them and block them. She didn't want to be associated with them anymore. If Cara ends up getting mad with her, so be it. She didn't need friends like that.

 

"I still want you to pay attention to me instead of that device." Hanzo told the girl.

 

"What? You worried that a cell phone is gonna take your beloved fiance away?"

 

"No, but if it begins growing sentience and flirts with you, then we will have a problem."

 

Edith laughed. "It's not an Omnic."

 

"I know that. I just don't want you to get sucked into that thing."

 

The girl turned her phone off, placing it on her lap. Then, the dark haired man lifted the girl's chin up to meet his gaze.

 

"My love, if there is anything you want to talk about, I promise you that I will listen."

 

Edith nodded her head.

 

"You don't need to tell me anything personal right now unless you want to. For now, let's just wait until the wedding draws near."

 

The wedding! Edith almost forgot they were going to get married. Then again, why else would she be here?

 

"Do you know when the wedding will be?"

 

"I'm not sure. I'm hoping it will be during the spring time...or summer time. Until then, we have all the time to get to know one another."

 

Edith gave the man another smile. Hanzo felt his heart skip a beat when he saw that pure smile. It should be a crime for her to be so cute. He couldn't wait to know how cuter she can get. Suddenly, the man remembered that he had other duties he had to attend to. Deep down, he wanted to stay a little longer with Edith, but he also knew that he had to continue being the responsible man he was known as. He had to maintain that reputation. However, today was his only to spend some time with his future wife. Perhaps he can spend a few more minutes with her. He never got any breaks from his work, so this was the only time he can actually relax and be with his beloved.

The rest of the day, the couple walked around the palace, talking about their likes, dislikes, and dreams. As they spoke more, Hanzo fell more in love with the girl, and Edith grew more comfortable around the man. He regretted the first few days not spending time with his future wife. If only he had gotten to speak with her sooner. But now he has to make up that missing time. The guards stared in awe at their master, a little shocked to see him smiling. If they kept staring for too long, Hanzo would give them glares, warning them what would happen if they dared to say anything about what they saw.

Edith never noticed the other guards, nor the threatening stares her fiance gave them. She was so invested in what she was telling her fiance about. It actually felt nice to talk to somebody new. She would usually write down her feelings or keep all of her emotions pent up inside her, but now she can say what she had been wanting to say for so long. Of course she made sure she didn't say anything awkward or get too personal. As the gentleman as he tried to be, Hanzo listened to Edith. He found it adorable as she told him about her favorite things to do and what shows or games she really enjoyed.

Hanzo was also amazed by the girl's sense of humor. For someone who appears to be so sweet and innocent, she has a dark sense of humor. The man couldn't argue, though. The jokes that she told him were quite hilarious. If only he had heard them sooner. He also quoted old memes from long ago, back when living machines were merely in science fiction. He was amazed that somebody like her even remembered those kind of memes. He thought he was the only one who found them funny. When night finally fell upon them, Hanzo felt refreshed. He never had such a heartfelt conversation with anyone in so long, let alone with anybody that had been his lover.

Why is he feeling such emotions for someone now? Edith wasn't his first love. He remembered the times he had been with other women, and yet he couldn't connect with them like had with her. He thought it had been because they only wanted nothing more but his body and his money. Sometimes he thought it was because of how cold and distant he was towards them. Maybe that was the case. But how did a sweet girl like Edith make his heart fuzzy and warm? What is her secret? Is she pretending to be innocent, or she actually like this?

He can't doubt her now. After everything she had told him today, there was no way she was faking it. She was being genuine to him. The couple walked down the lonely hallway that lead to Edith's room. When they arrived, the girl gave her fiance a kiss on the cheek. He had to lean down a little so she could reach him. Of course he wouldn't mind if she kissed him on the lips. Until she felt more comfortable with him, he'll wait. The brunette went into her room and gave him a sweet smile.

 

"Goodnight."

 

"Sleep well, my love."

 

With that, Edith shut the door behind her. Hanzo stood outside for awhile. Did everything that transpire today just really happen? Is he falling in love with this girl already? He had been craving to be with her since the day he saw her. He wanted her as his and his alone. Of course he could have asked her out on a date like she told him the first day they spoke, but he wasn't thinking then. All he was thinking was about himself and what the elders would have wanted. The days that Edith gave him his meals, he wanted her to say something to him. He didn't like it when she avoided him or kept quiet. But now knowing why she was so distant and afraid, he completely understood. Maybe not as much, but he knew the feeling of what she was going through.

Yesterday he wanted to try and have her speak to him. That was the only day he could spend time with her. When they were cooking together, all he thought about was his own desires. He also wanted to know if she truly was as shy as she appeared to be. He was amazed by how nervous and scared she was. No woman had ever turned him down in his life. They all would pretend they didn't want him, except Edith. She was so scared of him, she didn't even like it when he touched her. That was a mistake on his part, though. He should have respected her personal space. And he shouldn't have said those awful things to her yesterday.

He shouldn't worry about that though. That's all in the past. Edith forgave him for his cruel behavior. Though she didn't have to, she ended up forgiving him. Hanzo began walking down the hallway to return back to his room. When he entered, he collapsed onto his bed, letting out a deep, heavy sigh. Never in his life had he been so madly in love with someone before. Why is he so attracted to this girl? What is so special about her? Was it because she was so innocent and pure? Was it because she didn't really care about his status or who he was? Was it because she had rejected his many offerings to have sex? Even though he believes it was because of her kindness and her honestly, there had to be something else that attracted him to her.

All that he knows for now is that he loves her with all his heart and that he will protect her. One day she will end up finding out the truth about everything, and when that time comes, he'll have to be prepared for her to leave him. For now, he will enjoy these special moments with her.


	6. Chapter 6

Through the whole night, Edith was on her phone playing games. She was too excited to head back to sleep due to finally getting her phone back. Though it wasn't much, she was able to play one of the games she had installed on it. Every other app she couldn't access, especially the ones connected to the Internet as she did not know the wi-fi password. All through the night, she played the same game, leveling up her character. There were moments where her body told her to go asleep, but her mind was racing with too many thoughts, making her to anxious to fall asleep.

She was too excited and happy about finally having her phone back, and from speaking with her fiance. Edith wondered if tomorrow she was going to speak with him again. Oh she wanted tomorrow to just hurry up already, but it would only come if she went to bed right now. If she didn't get any rest, she would end up regretting it in the morning. Edith had done this many times before; staying up all night on her phone or her computer and end up waking up in the middle of the afternoon. It was difficult for her to go to bed at a certain, especially if it was a school night. Usually those were the days where she regretted going to bed late.

The only way she was able to get on a sleeping schedule was her parents grounding her from using her phone or computer. Since she was now an adult, there was no way that she could be grounded. Then again, Hanzo could end up taking her phone away. The girl looked at the time and saw it was getting late. She knew that would have to go to bed soon. She told herself once she finished one more level, she would go to bed.

That was three hours ago.

Edith couldn't go to sleep, and now that she had her phone, she couldn't access one of the radio apps she had on there. Listening to music was one of the only ways to make her fall asleep. Edith began to regret not downloading any music on her phone. She didn't want to listen to the sound of silence, it made her incredibly uncomfortable. It made scared her, too. She didn't want to hear sounds that a human shouldn't be able to hear. So instead, she continued playing the game through the night until her body finally gave into the warm embrace of slumber.

 

Hanzo awoke early as he usually did. He began to prepare himself for the day. Once he finished dressing, he fixed his hair to make sure it didn't look too messy. The eldest Shimada was slightly anxious about what the clan elders were going to say to him when they found out that he had skipped a day of his duties to spend time with his fiance. Right now he just wanted to go and be with her. She gave him a calm and soothing presence, unlike everyone else here within this place. Hanzo made his way to Edith's room, hoping that he wouldn't wake her up from her sleep. He wondered if the girl was going to open up to him a little more. Or will she still be afraid of him? Hanzo had to give the girl her time. She might not be completely ready to trust him until they wed. It hadn't been a year since she's been here, so it was obvious she wasn't going to be telling him much more than she did yesterday.

The man stood in front of the girl's door, hesitant to knock. He worried that she might still be asleep. Hanzo wasn't sure if Edith was a heavy sleeper or a light one. He wondered if she was on her phone all night. If she was, then she probably didn't do much, as he never gave her access to the wi-fi. With a deep breath, he knocked on her door. He got no response. After a few more minutes, he knocked again. Still no response. Of course, she must still be asleep. Hanzo began to feel terrible, fearing that he had awoken his beloved from a pleasant sleep. Maybe she wasn't in her room and woke up early? That could be the case, as well. Hanzo decided to wait a few more minutes until he got an answer.

No, he'll come back later. He didn't want to disturb her. Right as Hanzo was about to leave, the door opened. Edith stared up at him, dark circles under her eyes. From the first few days he had seen her, he noticed that they were a little darker. Her eyes were a little red as well.

Did she not get any sleep at all?

 

"Is something wrong?" The girl asked with a groggy voice.

 

"Edith, what time did you go to bed?"

 

Uh oh. Her eyes widened in shock, revealing that she must have gone to bed a little late. Before she could come up with an excuse, Hanzo interrupted her,

 

"Edith, I'm not going to have to take your phone away, am I?"

 

"N-no!"

 

"Then what time did you go to bed?"

 

She was silent. She didn't even know what time she went to bed. As she tried to think of a random number, the dark haired man let out a sigh,

 

"I apologize for waking you, however I do not want you to be on your phone away. Other wise it's going to become a problem for you and your sleep."

 

To his surprise, she let out a giggle. "You sound like my parents."

 

Hanzo raised both his eyebrows. "I do?"

 

"Yeah. They would threaten to take my phone away...which they did, but I had a computer...and they grounded me if I end up using it way too late on a school night."

 

"Then I suppose I'm going to have to punish you if you continue staying up late like this?"

 

Edith rubbed her eyes, mumbling, "Probably..."

 

A chuckle escaped the man's lips. She was rather adorable when she was sleepy. He wanted to tell her to go back to sleep and get some more rest, but she was already awake. Hopefully she doesn't pass out from exhaustion.

 

"Come darling. It's time to get up."

 

"Okay, but can I take a shower first?"

 

Edith didn't notice the slight glimmer in the man's eyes.

 

"Um...of course. But may I check the shower for you?"

 

Why would he need to check the shower? The girl felt her gut sinking, worrying what he planned on doing. He better not watch her while she bathes. Reluctantly, the girl nodded and allowed him in. Hanzo went into her restroom where Edith followed behind. He slid the glass doors open and stared in the shower. Edith stood behind him, uncertain what he was trying to do. She could handle the shower handle and check the temperature for herself. Though it's possible the showers here are different from the ones back at home. Edith watched as her fiance held his hand out in the water, checking for the temperature. As he pulled his hand away, he turned to the girl and explained,

 

"If you want the water to be a little warmer, turn the handle to the left. To shut it off completely, turn it to the right."

 

Edith nodded her head.

 

"I will go get you something to dry yourself with...and a new dress."

 

"J-just don't let it be too revealing, please."

 

For a second, Edith thought she saw the man grin deviously at her comment. He shut the door, leaving Edith alone in the bathroom. The girl checked the water for herself to see if it was the right temperature. It was fine, but not warm enough. She worried that Hanzo might scold her for taking too long. It wouldn't be her first or her last. Once Edith removed her nightgown, she entered the shower, closing the glass door behind her. She closed her eyes, feeling the the warm droplets hitting against her sensitive skin. The sound of the rapid droplets echoed within the small space.

Oh, how Edith missed the feeling of being wrapped in the warm embrace of the hot waters. The girl almost almost gave into sleep, but remembered that she had to get herself cleaned up, otherwise Hanzo would get upset with her. She rather not have to deal with that again. Hopefully if he does get upset, it won't be as bad as she feared it would be. The girl looked around for the shampoo and conditioner, finding them lying against the wall. She picked them both up, uncertain which one was which. Perhaps Hanzo should have explained to her which ones were which. Oh well, she'll figure that out herself.

Edith placed one of the bottles down, squeezing the other. From the liquid's appearance, it must have been the shampoo. If only Hanzo was here right now and told her which one was the shampoo and conditioner. On second thought, she didn't want to deal with the awkwardness of the two of them being in here together. Maybe when they get married officially they can be together in the showers. Thinking about it now was weird. Edith shouldn't have even thought of him being in here with her naked like this!

Deep down, she really did want him to be in here with her. Though they had little bonding time, she really wished he was here. The girl closed her eyes as she washed her hair, imagining the feeling of her fiance's strong arms wrapped around behind her small frame, pulling her close in a warm embrace. She imagined him helping her wash her hair, gently massaging her. Once he was done, she began to imagine his hands cleaning her body, slowly and gently rubbing down between her-

No! She can't be thinking such things! It's awful! It's sinful!

This wasn't her first time thinking such things in the shower. She always daydreamed of fictional crushes of hers actually being real. She imagined them comforting her, loving her, kissing her like this and doing...other things. Edith didn't want to admit she had thought those kind of things. She hated thinking about it. It made her feel...awful. She had been told everyone would think such perverted things, and yet she still felt guilty for thinking about them. It made her feel...impure. If Hanzo were to find out she thought of such things about him, she would no longer be seen as pure by him.

She knew that if they ended up doing...THAT...she couldn't continue playing dumb. Edith knew what sex was. She never experienced it, but she knew what it was. She was exposed to it by her "friends" when they thought it would be a good idea to turn their pure innocent friend into one of them to "teach her." Thankfully they didn't actually force her to perform those acts, but it disgusted her and made her feel awful for watching those videos. Edith knew that everyone found about the birds and the bees and it's what made children...and yet it still felt wrong.

The idea of her doing it with Hanzo, let alone anyone scared her. What if he thought she wasn't a virgin? What if he ends up leaving her because she wasn't good in bed? What if she wasn't what he wanted her to look like when nude? While worrying about this, Edith hadn't realized how cold the water had gotten. Quickly, she pulled it to turn the water on a warmer level. She continued where she left off and assured herself that she shouldn't be worrying about sex yet. Even after she and Hanzo got married, she wouldn't have to do it until she felt ready.

Besides, marriage wasn't just about sex. It was about love and trust between two people. Or in this case; status and power. Even after the events of yesterday, Edith still felt like Hanzo didn't truly love her. For all she knew, this was all an act and he was just playing the part incredibly well. Or she was just incredibly naive to believe a handsome and rich man like him could ever fall in love with such a stupid, pathetic, unworthy little-

Edith flinched as the sound of the door banging interrupted her thinking.

 

"Edith?" The muffled sound of Hanzo's voice came through the other side of the door. "Are you almost done?"

 

"Y-yes! I'm sorry!"

 

With out hesitation, the girl turned the shower off. She began to squeeze at her hair until there was no more water left in it. She slid the glass door open and exited the shower carefully as she could. Thankfully the floor wasn't slippery enough for her to fall. Edith was about to head back into her room until a question entered her mind;

How long had Hanzo been out there?

There was no way he was out there the whole time. He said he was going to get her a towel and her new dress. He must have just dropped them off and checked to see if she was still alive or not. For some reason, Edith could feel another presence on the other side of the door. Not wanting to take her chances, she called out to the man, hoping that he wasn't actually out there still,

 

"Hanzo?"

 

"What?"

 

Her heart almost froze in place. He was outside. But why? What is he waiting for?

 

"Um...where's my towel and dress?"

 

"Out here. Why?"

 

Silence.

 

"Edith?"

 

"Why are you out there? Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"

 

"Not at the moment."

 

"Then why are you still here?"

 

Edith waited for an answer. She pressed her ear against the door to hear if he was still there. She didn't want to look under the door, because there could be a possibility he would open it and catch her naked.

 

"Hanzo?"

 

"Yes?"

 

He's still out there?! Why is he still out there? "Hanzo, why are you still in my room?"

 

"Because I want to look at you."

 

Edith's heart nearly dropped at his comment. He's not being serious, is he? From the tone of his voice, he sounded like it.

 

"You want to see me naked!?"

 

"I would like to."

 

The girl stuttered, attempting to find the right words only for them to come out jumbled. "But-we-I mean...we aren't...I-I...I'm not...We're not married yet!"

 

"No, not yet. Though I would like to get a quick peek of what you look like undress."

 

Her face burned intensely with heat. She did not just hear what she thought she heard. Edith quickly responded,

 

"Oh no, you do not want to see me naked!"

 

"And why is that?"

 

"Because you'll be very disappointed with the results!" Edith held on the door handle, hoping that Hanzo wouldn't try to force his way in.

 

"I assure you Edith that I will not be disappointed with the results. And besides, I am quite eager to know what you look like."

 

Was she hallucinating all of this? There was no way that Hanzo was actually saying this. This had to be some kind of joke. If it was, then it was a cruel one. All Edith wanted was her towel and her new dress. She was trembling with the feeling of the cool air drying the water off her body. Should Edith risk it and check if Hanzo is staring at the door, waiting for her, or should she make a run for it and steal the towel?

The girl slowly opened the door to check if the man was still there. He was standing beside her bed, his back facing the door with his arms folded. She saw the towel lying on the bed, along with her new dress. When she noticed the man turn his head, Edith quickly closed the door, exclaiming,

 

"Can you please leave and give me privacy?"

 

She could hear him laughing, much to her annoyance. Was this nothing but a game to him? Edith wanted to open the door and give her a piece of her mind, but instead she clutched her fists tightly in anger.

 

"Alright, I'll leave. Let me know when you're done."

 

Finally, she heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Edith waited for a moment, uncertain if he actually left or pretended to so he could catch a glimpse of her nude body. Edith decided to take a chance and opened the door. There was nobody but her in the room. A relieved sigh escaped the girl's lips. She rushed to her bed and grabbed the towel. She dried herself off, as well as squeezing her damp hair with the towel. Finally, the girl finished and placed the towel on her dresser. She then turned her attention to her new dress.

It appeared to be a new dress, though Edith couldn't recall if she had seen it before or not. It was a dark cerulean color with a butterfly pattern decorated in a lighter color. Edith did find it beautiful, though it was far too beautiful for her to wear. Hesitantly, the girl put on the new dress. She didn't notice that lying underneath it was a pastel blue fabric. Her face burned up even more when she realized it was underwear. She wasn't sure if she should call Hanzo a pervert, or be thankful he was giving her clean clothes, regardless of it being undergarments.

She did find it a little creepy, though. When she put it on, she was amazed by how soft the texture of it was, unlike her past garments. Once she had finished getting herself ready for the day, Edith went back to the bathroom and brushed out her hair. It was her least favorite thing to do as having long hair always lead to feeling the pain of the brush pulling at the hair, which irritated her scalp. Finally done, she opened the door to reveal herself to her fiance. Hanzo turned his attention to her, gazing at her with his dark eyes. Edith turned her head away, holding herself tightly. The man stood in front of her, turning her head to face him. He studied her, examining her very carefully.

Hanzo enjoyed looking at the girl. She was far more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. He loved her little shy gestures and seeing her blush like a tomato. He thought it was cute to see her try to look away from him in embarrassment. Edith could feel her cheeks burning up as if she was still in the shower. The man brushed her damp hair out of her face and behind her ear, causing her to shudder. Hanzo let out a satisfied chuckle. He was so eager to just have them get married right now. He didn't care if they weren't well dressed, he just wanted to make her his wife right now.

 

"You look so gorgeous."

 

"N-no I don't." Edith said. "I look...normal."

 

"Well I think you look beautiful, whether you believe it or not."

 

Edith smiled with a sad look in her eyes. "I'll probably never find myself beautiful."

 

"One day you will." The man assured her while ruffling her hair. "You didn't bother to dry your hair?"

 

"I usually let it dry."

 

"You'll catch a cold."

 

"Hanzo, it's not winter. If it was, then I would dry it."

 

If that's what she wants, then he won't force her to dry it. Though he is worried she'll get sick.

 

"Very well."

 

"Oh, Hanzo? Is there any reason why you woke me up so early?"

 

"No. Not really."

 

"So I can go back to bed?"

 

"Wha-you just woke up! Besides, I don't want you to have a messed up sleeping schedule."

 

"Hanzo, I'm not a child."

 

Hanzo nodded his head. "You're correct. You aren't a child, though I do not want you to be waking up late in the day. I also don't want you to force yourself to stay up so late, either. You need rest."

 

"So can I go get my rest now?"

 

The dark haired man just stared at her.

 

"I'll take that as a no."

 

Edith had never acted like this to the man before. It was a nice change, though. Hanzo enjoyed the girl's silly banter with him. He wondered if she was like this with her parents or her friends. Maybe she was...hopefully he'll get to enjoy it a little more. Edith still had a few more steps to take before she could finally open herself up to him completely.

 

"What do you need me to do today?"

 

"Hmm..." Hanzo thought for a moment. He wanted the girl to be by his side, though he worried that she might end up distracting him. Suddenly, an idea came up in his head. "How about you come be by my side while I work?"

 

Really? He wanted her to join him with his work? Edith did wonder exactly what Hanzo did. She knew he was the head of his clan. His clan were also criminals, though she wasn't sure exactly what he did. It better not be too gruesome or violent. The girl nodded her head in agreement. Hanzo grinned, motioning for her to follow him. He lead his fiance to his office, a place that she wasn't allowed to be in, nor did she even know it existed. Edith entered the room, scanning the area to see if they were alone. The office room was quite big, however it was no bigger than her bedroom. In the middle of the office was a long leather couch arched in the shape of an "L." Hanzo began approaching his desk, which was set right against the wall. Edith saw that there were shelves littered with books.

Edith then turned to her husband, who sat down at his desk. He began picking up the papers that were scattered all over the surface. The girl  wondered if they were written contracts with other criminals and clans. They could also just be other papers he has for reference or something. The dark haired man looked up at his wife, saying to her,

 

"I'm usually in here or in the meeting room while you were doing your chores."

 

"Wh-what is it that you do again?"

 

"Let's just say I manage the clan's contracts with other clans or any reports that come from my men. There might be some people coming in and out of here, so ignore them."

 

"O-okay."

 

"If you'd like, you can listen to music."

 

Edith completely forgotten her phone. Either way, it was on low battery. "I...I don't have it with me."

 

Hanzo pulled out his cellphone, placing it on his desk. Edith stared at the cellphone, then back at her fiance. He nodded his head, giving her permission to use his cellphone. The girl hesitated in taking it. She decided to use it as the sound of awkward silence filled the room. As she turned the phone on, Edith saw that he too used a radio app, however it wasn't the same one as the one she used. While Hanzo tended to his work, Edith got the hang of using the app and played some music that she listened to. When the first song came on, the man shifted his eyes to the girl. She placed his cellphone on top of the book shelf, attempting to sort out his books.

 

"You listen to this band as well?"

 

The brunette looked at him, her eyes wide in shock. She never expected Hanzo to listen to this kind of music.

 

"Y-yeah?"

 

"Come now, dear. I enjoy all different kinds of music from time to time."

 

"Even country?"

 

The room fell silent as Hanzo motioned his hand with a "so-so." Edith let out a giggle while she placed some of the books back in the shelves. "I usually listen to almost anything, but I prefer songs that have meaning or sound sad, I guess."

 

"You aren't a big fan of the pop genre then?"

 

"Sometimes. But most music I don't even understand the lyrics or who's singing it anymore. So I just listen to the old stuff or unpopular songs. Heck, I even listen to video and movie soundtracks."

 

The man let out a huff. Thinking she was annoying him, the girl quickly said, "I'm sorry for bothering you."

 

"It's fine. Speaking with you lifts my spirits up...and I helps me forget my troubles as well."

 

Her cheeks flushed at his comment. She was glad to know that he felt at ease when she spoke to him. She also liked how his voice went soft as well, making her feel warm and fuzzy. Time began to pass and Edith had finished sorting out the books. She made sure that the ones that were series went in order. Thankfully there were numbers on them so she knew which ones went first and last. While Hanzo continued his work, Edith helped clean around the office. She didn't want to say it, but it was a complete mess. It didn't seem to bother Hanzo as she cleaned up around the room. In fact, he was glad as he never had the time to actually clean up after himself.

A few clan members entered the room. Like Hanzo told her to do, she ignored them and acted like she wasn't actually there. Of course the clan members were either annoyed or happy to see her. Edith didn't know what they were saying about her, but she rather not know, fearing what kind of comments they were making about her. It didn't seem like they said anything bad as Hanzo didn't snap at them or threaten them.

After a few visits from clan members, Edith noticed that there was some folders resting on a shelf across the room on the opposite side of the bookshelves. She walked over to them, grabbing them from the shelves and handed them to her fiance. The man looked up from his desk, staring at the folders in confusion. Then he seemed to realize what they were and took them from the girl's hands.

 

"Thank you, my dear."

 

He opened the folder, revealing that there was more papers inside of them.

 

"Wh-what are they?"

 

"Signed contracts I made with another group. It's nothing for you to worry about."

 

Edith smiled with pride. She was happy that she was finally being useful.

 

"Would you like me to help you sort your papers out?"

 

"No, no. I can do that."

 

"What else can I do? I wanna help out."

 

"You can let me know if I get any text messages."

 

Edith nodded her head. "Wait, are you actually going to let me use your phone?"

 

"Don't get into any personal stuff, like photos."

 

"I won't."

 

With that, Edith went back to the bookshelf, grabbing the cellphone. There were no text messages as of recently. Curious, Edith went on the man's phone to see what kind of games the man had. He had some of the usual games on there, mainly puzzle games like crosswords or Sudoku. Edith used the crossword app to try and entertain herself, however she ended up getting interrupted from text messages. Edith handed Hanzo his phone, which he would either reply back to the messages or not respond at all. He gave the girl back the cellphone once he was done.

Soon enough, Edith got bored of using Hanzo's phone. It didn't feel right using it as it belonged to him. She still kept an eye for any text messages. So to try and entertain herself, she decided to look at some of the books that were in his shelf. She knew she couldn't read them, however she pretended that she knew what she was reading as more clan members entered the room. Edith paid them no mind, though it was difficult when some of them attempted to gain her attention. It was awkward when Hanzo got a text message and Edith had to hand it to her husband as he was speaking to others.

Thankfully he didn't get angry with her. Some of the clan members stared at her, but she ignored them. Time passed and they were finally alone once more. No more clan members came to visit them thankfully. Hanzo finished filing the papers, placing some on his desk and others back in a folder. He got up from his seat, gaining the girl's attention. She put the book back and lifted herself up to her feet.

 

"I am needed in the meeting room. I want you to stay in here until I return, alright?"

 

"You don't want me to go?"

 

"I'd rather not have another event like the last time happen."

 

The memories flooded back to Edith's mind. She didn't want to relive that moment ever again, and hopefully Edith will never have the clan elders ask her such questions ever again. Better yet, she rather not see them ever again. Edith nodded her head in agreement and remained inside the office. Before Hanzo left, he told her,

 

"Don't worry about anyone coming in. Nobody ever comes here unless I say so...which is never."

 

"Okay."

 

With that, Hanzo left the girl alone in his office. The girl felt a tingling feeling once he was gone. There was no way that he truly trusted her alone by herself. She felt so excited and anxious. The girl worried that if she did anything, she would get into trouble. She didn't want to break her fiance's trust. Curious, the girl went over to his desk and looked at the papers. She wasn't certain what they said as they weren't written in English. There were some papers in English, but Edith ignored those. It didn't feel right reading them.

Before she walked away, she notice two photos standing on his desk. One photo was of two young boys standing together. The eldest boy had long dark hair, staring into the photo with a stern look. He almost resembled Hanzo. The other boy in the photo appeared to be much younger. He wore an orange scarf and had green hair. It was obvious is was dyed as his eyebrows were a darker shade. He was also smiling in the photo, wrapping one arm around the older boy. Edith wondered who the boys were. Were they his sons? Hanzo didn't really mention any family. It could be possible that these boys in the photo could be his children. After all, he did look like the kind of man who would have already have children of his own. The eldest boy in the photo looked exactly like him. It hurt Edith to know that she might not have been the first woman Hanzo loved. Maybe his first wife died...or she left him with his children and this photo is what's left of them. 

It made the girl's heart shatter. Hanzo must have moved on from that...or maybe he hadn't and still had feelings for this past woman. Maybe she reminded him of her. Was that why Hanzo wanted to marry her? She reminded him of his past wife? So he must not really love her for who she was...Suddenly, Edith noticed the second photo. It was a picture of an older man, who almost appeared to be an older version of Hanzo. Maybe this was his father. He did have some of Hanzo's looks, or rather Hanzo had his looks. Their eyes were identical, and he had a longer beard than Hanzo. He didn't have the same sideburns Hanzo had though. His face was also firm like Hanzo's. Edith giggled as she thought that all of Hanzo's good looks came from this man. Then, her smile faded when she realized it was weird to think about that. It was also kind of weird to think that Hanzo had children and they might be way older than her.

Or they were her age...

The brunette walked away from the desk, lying down on the couch. It smelled like dirty leather. Probably from other clan members in the past. Edith stared up at the ceiling, wondering how long Hanzo's meeting was going to take. What was she going to ask him once he came back? Should she ask him about the boys in the photo? No, that would anger him. Edith began to regret looking at that photo. She wished that she didn't know Hanzo had children. What if they weren't his children? It was hard to think about who the past wife of Hanzo was. For all she knew, it could have been an arranged marriage.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, the girl decided to close her eyes and take a nap. It didn't matter if Hanzo was once married in the past and had children. He might not have a good marriage, but he could have loved his children. If he does have children, how are they going to feel about their father marrying a girl their age or older. No! No more thinking about that stuff. It's all in the past. Right now is the present. It was difficult to fall asleep as the silence bothered Edith. She wished she had Hanzo's cellphone with her, but he needed it much more than her. What felt like ages, Edith finally felt at ease and fell asleep.

 

A gentle stroke awoke the girl from her nap. She felt something stroking her cheek gently. The texture was familiar. It felt like...leather? Edith fluttered her eyes, tilting her head up to find that Hanzo was sitting next to her, staring at her with a gentle expression.

 

"H-Hanzo...?"

 

"You've awaken at last." Hanzo murmured.

 

"Wh-what time is it?"

 

"Almost after noon, why?"

 

"What time did your meeting start?"

 

"It doesn't matter, my darling."

 

The man lifted Edith up from the couch, much to her shock. He had her rest on his lap, pressing his head against her neck. Edith was shocked at the sudden act. She squeaked as he began kissing down her neck, nibbling at a soft spot she didn't even know she had. Her heart began to beat rapidly, her body trembling at the gentle touches of his hands. The girl pushed away from him and cried,

 

"Stop that!"

 

"I-I'm sorry...I got too excited." He apologized.

 

"Wh-why did you do that anyway? We aren't even married yet."

 

"We will be very soon." Hanzo's lips formed into a teasing grin.

 

"Why are you smiling like that?"

 

"After the meeting, they ended up discussing about you and our relationship...though they weren't really for it, they decided that we shall be wedded."

 

"And...when is that?"

 

He grin wider, pressing a kiss on the girl's forehead.

 

"My beloved Edith, we shall be wedded tomorrow. Oh, I cannot wait to finally make you mine-"

 

"We're getting married tomorrow?!"

 

Hanzo stared with wide eyes at the girl. "Yes. Are you not happy?"

 

"I-I mean I am...b-but..." The girl paused. "Sh-shouldn't we...wait a little longer? I mean...we don't know each other very well and...I-I-"

 

Her voice trailed off as the man pressed a finger on her lips.

 

"My dear, we will have even more time to get to know one another. I understand if you are not ready for any further steps. I promise I will wait for you to tell me when you are truly ready, but we must be wedded tomorrow or the clan members will take you away."

 

Take her away? Edith didn't even want to know what he meant by that. But from the sound of it, they didn't seem like they were going to return her home. As much as she wanted to go home, Edith couldn't bring herself to leave his side. Even though she told herself she was still over being far from home, she really wasn't. She had to get over the fact that she was never going home. The girl stared into the man's eyes with a familiar sad look. Hanzo wanted to comfort her and assure her she didn't have to do anything if she didn't want to, but before he could open his mouth, the girl wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head against his neck.

 

"I...I do."

 

"You what...?"

 

"I want to be your wife." Edith responded. "That's what I'm supposed to say...when you ask me to marry you."

 

Hanzo let out a soft laugh. He embraced his beloved in his arms. He was eager to finally claim her and make her his forever, but he knew he couldn't rush into love making. Not yet. Not until she was ready for that. She was still young for that. As much as Hanzo wanted to, it didn't feel right having sex with her. She was an adult...and yet she was younger than him. Deep down, he truly wished he could find a different approach to their love. If he was only her age or younger, then maybe he would feel comfortable with making love to her.

No, he shouldn't be ashamed of loving her. Now if she were younger than what she claimed to be, then yes he would not want to marry her and find a different approach, but she is of age. Girl's her age shouldn't be getting married so soon. She has so much ahead of her, and he took that away by forcing her out of her home and into his life. The clan elders better not force her into his way of life, other wise he was going to...

The man let out a heavy sigh. There was no point in getting upset with them. They wouldn't get into his love life. They had no reason to. The clan elders didn't show any signs of using her like that had once used him. All that mattered now was their special day. It was all going to be about her and him. The next chapter of their life begins, and the first step of redemption began with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post! I had been busy with getting into college and dealing with other stuff and I really didn't have the time or motivation to write. But here's a new chapter, so yey


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